DRAFT - 2012 Sixth Grade Language Arts Unit 1 Overview Content Area: Language Arts Unit Title: Plot, Conflict, & Setting Target Course/Grade Level: Sixth Grade Unit Summary I Reading Literature & Informational Text: A. Stories: 1. Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg 2. “Boar Out There” by Cynthia Rylant (p 32) 3. “The School Play” by Gary Soto (p 34) 4. “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury (p 66) 5. “Lob’s Girl” by Joan Aiken (p 88) 6. “My Name” from A House On Mango Street: by Sandra Cisneros B. Nonfiction & Media: 1. “Weather That’s Out of this World!” (p 79) 2. Magazine article; “Space Settlements”: online article (p 80) 3. Film clip from Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events 4. Memoir from “Woodsong” by Gary Paulsen (p 114) 5. Newspaper Article “A Life in the Day of Gary Paulsen” (p 122) C. Text Analysis Workshops: 1. “What Makes a Good Story?” (p 28) D. Novels 1. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman 2. Coming of Age Novels: novels to choose from: • Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan • Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan • Hatchet by Gary Paulsen • Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen • Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff • Sharon Creech novels: Heartbeat, Replay, Ruby Holler, Walk Two Moons, Castle Carona, Absolutely Normal Chaos, Chasing Redbird • A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass II Speaking and Listening: 1. Workshop: Participating in a Discussion (p 180) 2. Discuss literature DRAFT - 2012 Sixth Grade Language Arts 3. Global Read Aloud: The One and Only Ivan (Students will listen to the story and then communicate with students who also read this text around the world). III Language: A. Grammar: 1. Nouns: Common, Proper, Singular, Plural, Possessive (p103; p R52) 2. Pronouns: Personal Pronouns, Agreement with Antecedent, Pronoun Forms (p R52) 3. Avoid Sentence Fragments; Avoid Run-Ons 4. Punctuate Dialogue B. Vocabulary: 1. Students will learn vocabulary in context from the stories within the anthology. 2. The following academic vocabulary will also be covered: affect, analyze, evidence, impact, provide (p 102) 3. Unit 1 Sadlier-Oxford Level A C. Language: 1. denotations and connotations (p 44) 2. literal and figurative meaning (p 102) 3. sequence and foreshadowing (p 97) 4. latin root: cred (from “Charles”) ject (from “Woodsong”) (p 124) 5. Consult Thesauri IV Writing: 1. Supporting an Opinion: Students will choose a story and determine which element is most responsible for making the story unforgettable. Students will write a five-paragraph essay persuading readers to agree with their viewpoint or claim. (p 170) 2. Timed Writing: Your school is sponsoring an essay contest to celebrate “Movie Week.” Contestants will write an essay on a film they have seen for the title of “best movie ever made.” Write an essay convincing the panel o fteachers and students that your movie deserves this honor. Use clear reasons and relevant evidence from the movie to support your claim. (p 179) 3. Students will write their own chapter for Seedfolks. They may choose a known character in the story or create a new character to add to the community. 4. Students will write poetry or fiction in response to the artwork at the Highland Park Public Library. 4. Students will research the meaning of their name and write a “My Name” piece modeled on Cisneros’s “My Name”, about themselves. Their writing should twine their research and metaphor. Ex: My name means light. I am the sun in the morning when my mother wakes me. DRAFT - 2012 Sixth Grade Language Arts Primary interdisciplinary connections: Science, Art, 21st century themes: 9.1 21st Century Life and Career Goals: A: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving E: Communication and Media Fluency Unit Rationale: Students will begin with Widow’s Broom to focus on story structure and inferencing. Students will learn how a story or drama’s plot unfolds. In focusing on the plot diagram, they will focus on the structure of the story and how conflict is essential to story. Stories and works are chosen that reflect strong plot, conflict, and setting. Setting will be explored as a vital component of analyzing character and story. Vocabulary acquisition and grammatical skills will be addressed to improve written expression. Students will have an opportunity to develop arguments and write in both expository and creative voices. Learning Targets Standards RL 1, RL 3, RL 5, RI 1, RI 2, RI 4, RI 6, RI 7, RI 10, W 1a-e, W 2, W 3, W 4, W 5, W 6, W 9a, W 10, SL 1, SL 1a-d, SL 2, SL 3, SL 4, L 1, L 1b, L 1c, L 2, L 3b, L 4b L 4c, L 5c , L6 Content Statements CPI # Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI) RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RL.6.3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. RI.6.1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RI.6.2. Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. RI.6.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. RI.6.6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. RI.6.7. Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. RI.6.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. • W.6.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. • Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. DRAFT - 2012 Sixth Grade Language Arts • Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text. • Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. • Establish and maintain a formal style. • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. W.6.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. W.6.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. W.6.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) W.6.5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. W.6.6. Use technology, including the Internet, 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 three pages in a single sitting. W.6.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. W.6.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. SL.6.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. SL.6.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. • Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. • Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. • Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. DRAFT - 2012 Sixth Grade Language Arts • Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. SL.6.2. 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. SL.6.3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. SL.6.4. Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. L.6.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.