School District of Springfield Township

A SNAPSHOT OF GRADE 6 LANGUAGE ARTS:

Preparing students for the 8th grade benchmark expectations

The Language Arts Standards in Action
Reading Standards
Writing and Grammar Standards
Speaking and Listening Standard
Research Standard
Most Frequently Asked Questions

(A Pennsylvania State Standards-Based Curriculum)

A Snapshot of Grade 6 Language Arts

Essential Questions Explored Through The Literature Selections

Unit 1: Memoir

How does a memoir reflect a life journey? What are the processes authors use to create meaningful writing?

Unit 2: Seedfolks

What is a community? How can active people create positive changes? What literary devices do authors use to create unforgettable characters?

Unit 3: Black History

How do people triumph through struggle? How does the African American experience affect us all? What are basic human rights and why is it necessary to have laws to protect them?

Unit 4: The Cay

How can crisis/conflict become an opportunity for growth? How is prejudice learned and can it be changed?

Sample Texts

Seedfolks, Sounder, The Cay, A Caribbean Dozen: Poems From Caribbean Poets, If Once You have Slept On An Island, The Westing Game, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, selected non-fiction, short stories, and poems from Elements of Literature

What goes in the 6th grade classroom?

The Language Arts Standards in Action

Developing Reading Comprehension and Literature Interpretation

o Sadlier Oxford Vocabulary Study, Level A
o Exercises and practice (e.g., applying Before, During, After reading strategies) for independent reading
o Mini-lessons (e.g., literary devices, mystery genre), double entry reading journals and contracts, non-fiction Literature Circles, jigsaw activities, visualizing, role play, character diary, scrapbook, post card journal, graphic organizers

Developing Writing Skills/Improving Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

o Frequent formal and informal process writing assignments (e.g., informational: comparison/contrast, narrative: memoir, persuasive: book review); PSSA prompts
o Creative—e.g., monologue, poem, eulogy, Harris Burdick creative writing
o Targeted mini-lessons (Elements of Language) and proofreading lessons

Developing Speaking and Listening Skills

o Collaborative learning assignments; small and large group discussion formats
o Performances, speeches, debate

Developing Research Skills

o CAPPS project

By the end of 6th grade, students… KNOW…300 new vocabulary words CAN DO…self-evaluate oral presentations, analyze and discuss a short story in cooperative group, write a memoir, identify and use correctly parts of speech

Reading Standards

Student reads independently to understand, interpret, and respond to a wide range of texts.

Student reads informational texts critically to solve problems, make decisions, and draw conclusions.

Student analyzes and interprets literature across experiences, societies, eras.

Grade 8 Benchmarks: What is expected by the end of 8th grade

Uses reading strategies, vocabulary strategies, and demonstrates both fluency and comprehension
Uses, analyzes, and explains essential content of informational texts, documents, and media; produces a work in at least one type of informational text
Analyzes, interprets, and responds to works of literature in a variety of genres

Sample Indicators of Effective 6th Grade Reading Behaviors:

o Reads for various purposes: identifies purpose before reading
o Uses metacognitive skills to monitor understanding
o Applies and practices reading skills across the curriculum
o Differentiates fact from opinion; weighs credibility and authority
o Uses detail from text to support generalization or forms a generalization based upon specific textual evidence
o Identifies and analyzes different narrative voices
o Understands, identifies, and tells about setting, plot, point of view, theme, characters, conflict, mood, tone, style, imagery, conflict resolution, and literary devices
o Uses graphic organizers or maps to organize information
o Identifies and defines new words and concepts
o Relates new information to prior knowledge, to self, world, other texts
o Asks extension questions
o Responds to texts from four stances: Initial Understanding, Develop Interpretation, Respond Personally, Respond Critically (See PSSA Reading Rubric)

Essential Learning Prompted by Reading Standards: Students learn strategies for comprehending a variety of texts of quality and complexity for practical, educational, and aesthetic purposes. Through making connections across experiences, societies, eras, students enhance both their reading pleasure and skill. These skills are reinforced across the curriculum.

Writing and Grammar Standards

Student writes effectively.

Effective writing includes making writing choices appropriate to audience and purpose, using writing process (pre-write, draft, revise, proofread and edit, publish), and controlling focus, content, organization, style, and conventions.

Student increases grammatical competencies.

Grade 8 Benchmarks: What is expected by the end of 8th grade

Writes narrative/descriptive pieces, multi-paragraph informational pieces, and persuasive pieces of writing
Writes well-developed pieces using writing process
Identifies components of a sentence and their functions; uses components and functions correctly
Identifies and uses a variety of sentence structures
Uses basic mechanics appropriately.

Sample Indicators of Effective 6th Grade Writing/Grammar Behaviors:

o Develops skill in writing narrative pieces that show evidence of varying organizational methods, sensory detail, concrete language, relevant dialogue, literary conflict, literary elements and devices
o Anticipates problems, mistakes, misunderstandings
o Orders information by various methods of organization (definition
o Creates multi-paragraph outline or diagram as guide for consistency in topic, purpose, point of view
o Uses paragraph as basic unit of organization
o Uses writing terminology of PA Writing Assessment Domain Scoring Guide to discuss writing issues
o Reflects upon and evaluates process and product
o Knows and uses parts of speech correctly
o Combines sentences: inserts words, phrases, coordinating conjunctions; creates compound subjects/predicates; subordinates clauses
o Uses punctuation correctly: comma, semicolon, parentheses, apostrophe, hyphen
o Is aware of spelling weaknesses and works to improve skill by construction a personal spelling “demon” list and uses spell checking function of word processing program to identify errors.

Essential Learning Prompted by Writing and Grammar Standards:

Students understand that the process of writing is as important as the product itself. The metacognitive awareness of the writer’s choices and how those choices affect the reader help students take greater care in both content and mechanics. Students and teachers across the curriculum use the PA Writing Assessment rubric domains for assessment and instruction.

Speaking and Listening Standard

Student demonstrates speaking, listening, and discussion skills.

Grade 8 Benchmarks: What is expected by the end of 8th grade

Listens to others in formal speaking situations
Speaks using skills appropriate to formal speech and performance situations
Contributes to discussions
Participates in small and large group presentations

Sample Indicators of Effective 6th Grade Speaking/Listening Behaviors:

o Exhibits appropriate eye contact and body language as listening behaviors
o Develops ability to monitor own listening behaviors—awareness of under- or over-participation; sets goals for growth
o Demonstrates sensitivity to the beliefs, opinions, personalities of others
o Takes notes when appropriate
o Responds to ideas of others by agreeing, furthering, questioning, validating, providing examples, etc.
o Organizes thoughts before speaking or discussing and has a clear beginning, middle, and end
o Rehearses
o Engages audience using a variety of techniques including: eye contact, voice inflection, visual aids, expressive language, and gestures
o Participates as a speaker and/or listener through everyday conversation, interviews, class discussions, small group discussions, informal debates, complex directions, and explanations
o Works effectively for group presentations—plans, shares workload equitably
o Presents successfully CAPPS project (confidence, engages audience, effective presentation of material)
o Evaluates speaking performances and sets goals for growth

Essential Learning Prompted By Speaking/Listening Standard:

Effective communication through speaking and listening is a life skill. Students learn to listen critically and to speak cogently, to respond to ideas and synthesize them in a discussion, to present ideas formally and informally, and to stand before a group and present information or artistic expression with confidence and clarity.

Research Standard

Student researches by gathering and synthesizing information from reference materials and communicating the knowledge gained (See also Reading Standards).

Grade 8 Benchmark: What is expected by the end of 8th grade Completes I-Search, CAPPS projects, and cross-curricular projects that involve planning, gathering, organizing, documenting, and reflecting.

(For details about the research process and documentation format, for grades 6-7 consult www.springfield.org/ms/library.)

Sample Indicators of Effective 6th Grade Research Behaviors:

o With assistance poses question or problem as focus
o Uses effective strategies as instructed for locating valid information
o Determines validity of secondary sources
o Uses basic library classification systems
o Collects, organizes, and stores information for later use
o With assistance generates ideas for further information (e.g., mind mapping, brainstorming, questioning, listing)
o Uses structured format to gather and arrange relevant notes
o Organizes, summarizes, and presents the main ideas from research
o Practices paraphrasing
o Documents sources
o Uses technology skills in accessing, organizing, storing, analyzing, evaluating, and reporting information and conclusions (e.g., word processing, desktop publishing, search tools)
o Self assesses: reflects upon the research steps and processes used and coniders effectiveness of effort

Essential Learning prompted by the Research Standard:

Students learn and practice the lifelong tools and skills of effective inquiry: posing questions, locating and identifying reliable sources, note taking, organizing information, synthesizing, documenting sources, and reflecting on the effectiveness of the process. The Language Arts Research Standard forms the level of expectation across the curriculum.

Most Frequently Asked Questions

What is metacognition and why is it important?

Answer: Metacognition refers to “thinking about thinking,” that is, being aware of and monitoring one’s own thinking processes. Students must be articulate about their reasoning processes: describe what is going on in their heads as they solve problems, plan a sequence of steps, note missteps in their thinking process and what information they are missing, etc. It is important for students to develop metacognitive awareness during reading so that they can apply the fix-up strategies that effective readers use when they get stuck or do not understand what they are reading. When a student pays attention to what s/he is thinking during reading, it helps him/her to evaluate reading behaviors and to make necessary changes. The same idea holds true for writing, speaking, listening, and research.

What can parents/caregivers do to help their children academically in grades 6-8?

Answer: There are several things that parents/caregivers can do to encourage and support learning:

1—Model reading as a pleasure activity and as critical to learning and decision-making.

2—Set clear expectations for completion of homework and long-range assignments. Help your child to develop a plan to schedule all of the demands on his/her time.

3—Encourage the ethical use of information in your child’s work.

4—Help your child by clarifying directions, encouraging him/her to think out loud, to brainstorm, to plan, and to be accurate and precise. Make sure that you draw the line at helping your child complete his/her own work.

5—Contact your child’s teacher if you need clarification of grade level expectations, assignment details, and/or to give the teacher any important information about your child. Come to Meet the Teacher Night and conference days. Make sure that your child understands that you and the teacher are working together for his/her best achievement.