Our Curriculum › Reading › 6th Grade
Reading 6
A year of close reading for 6th grade: twelve short stories and several nonfiction text sets, used to practice citing evidence, finding theme, comparing texts and judging arguments. Many readings tie into American history.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
6 units
Each opens to its lessons
12 short stories
Plus nonfiction sets and speeches
Standards
Common Core Grade 6 reading
What's taught, unit by unit
Core reading skillsDays 1–20
Four weeks of foundations: citing textual evidence, finding theme and central idea, writing an objective summary, tracking plot and character change, figurative and connotative word meanings, tone, narrator's point of view, and judging an argument. Includes a myth and an ancient text.
- 1 · Welcome to Reading 6: Citing Textual Evidence
- 2 · Determining Theme and Central Idea
- 3 · Writing an Objective Summary
- 4 · How Plot Unfolds and Characters Change
- 6 · Figurative and Connotative Word Meanings
- 7 · Analyzing Word Choice's Impact on Tone
- 8 · How a Chapter Contributes to Overall Structure
- 9 · How an Author Develops Narrator's Point of View
- 11 · Comparing Texts in Different Genres
- 12 · Determining Central Idea of Informational Text
- 13 · How a Key Idea Is Elaborated
- 14 · Author's Point of View and Purpose
- 16 · Tracing and Evaluating an Argument
- 17 · Comparing How Two Authors Present the Same Event
- 18 · Analyzing a Myth
- 19 · Analyzing an Ancient Text's Structure
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Stories, speeches & first-hand sourcesDays 21–50
Three short stories (The Debate Team, The Immigrant's Journey, The Inventor's Notebook) alongside an Enlightenment excerpt, speeches and Progressive Era writing. Skills: character growth, theme, claims and evidence, bias, comparing accounts, and combining sources.
- 21 · A New Story: The Debate Team
- 22 · Analyzing the Character's Growth as a Thinker
- 23 · The Debate Team: Theme About Listening
- 24 · Determining Word Meaning from Context
- 26 · Reading a Primary Source: An Enlightenment Excerpt
- 27 · Identifying an Argument's Main Claim and Evidence
- 28 · Comparing Two Persuasive Texts
- 29 · Evaluating the Strength of an Argument
- 31 · A New Story: The Immigrant’s Journey
- 32 · Analyzing Historical Fiction’s Accuracy
- 33 · The Immigrant’s Journey: Theme
- 34 · Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction on the Same Topic
- 36 · Analyzing Bias in Historical Accounts
- 37 · Reading a Speech Excerpt
- 38 · Comparing Multiple Accounts of Industrialization
- 39 · Synthesizing Multiple Sources
- 41 · A New Story: The Inventor’s Notebook
- 42 · Analyzing Persistence Through Failure
- 43 · The Inventor’s Notebook: Theme
- 44 · Analyzing a Character’s Motivation
- 46 · Reading a Progressive Era Speech Excerpt
- 47 · Comparing Reformers’ Arguments
- 48 · Analyzing Word Choice in Persuasive Writing
- 49 · Finding Supported and Unsupported Claims
Plus 6 review days, not listed.
Debates, claims & how ideas spreadDays 51–90
The stories The Class Debate, The Podcast Project, The Museum Curator and The History Fair, plus nonfiction on how ideas spread (the printing press to the internet). Skills: supported vs. unsupported claims, both sides of a debate, cause and effect, and comparing genres. Includes two short review stretches.
- 51 · A New Story: The Class Debate
- 52 · Analyzing How Characters Handle Disagreement
- 53 · The Class Debate: Theme
- 54 · Comparing This Story to Real Historical Debates
- 56 · Identifying a Claim and Its Supporting Reason
- 57 · Sorting Supported and Unsupported Claims
- 58 · Evaluating Claims on Both Sides of a Historical Debate
- 59 · Identifying Evidence on Both Sides of a Debate
- 61 · A New Story: The Podcast Project
- 62 · Analyzing How the Character Overcomes Self-Doubt
- 63 · The Podcast Project: Theme
- 64 · Comparing Multiple Genres on the Same Theme
- 66 · Cumulative Review: Fiction Skills
- 67 · Cumulative Review: Nonfiction and Argument Skills
- 68 · Choosing a Favorite Text to Reread
- 69 · Reflecting on Your Reading Growth
- 71 · A New Nonfiction Text Set: How Ideas Spread (Part 1)
- 72 · A New Nonfiction Text Set: How Ideas Spread (Part 2)
- 73 · Analyzing Cause and Effect: Technology and Society
- 74 · Synthesizing the How Ideas Spread Text Set
- 76 · A New Story: The Museum Curator
- 77 · Analyzing How the Character Values the Past
- 78 · The Museum Curator: Theme
- 79 · Comparing The Museum Curator to Your Own Exhibit Project
- 81 · A New Story: The History Fair
- 82 · Analyzing How the Character Handles Setbacks
- 83 · The History Fair: Theme
- 84 · Comparing Two Stories About Perseverance
- 86 · Cumulative Review: Comparing Texts Across the Term
- 87 · Cumulative Review: Vocabulary and Word Meaning
- 88 · Choosing a Favorite Book to Recommend
- 89 · Comparing Your Reading Skills: Then and Now
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
Biomes, essays & interviewsDays 91–125
A nonfiction set on world biomes (compare-and-contrast structure), then the stories The Expedition Diary, The Essay Contest, The Interview and The Time Capsule Committee. Also a model essay on Benjamin Franklin, with checking its evidence. Several review and reflection days are mixed in.
- 91 · A New Nonfiction Text Set: World Biomes (Part 1)
- 92 · A New Nonfiction Text Set: World Biomes (Part 2)
- 93 · Analyzing Compare-and-Contrast Structure
- 94 · Synthesizing the World Biomes Text Set
- 96 · A New Story: The Expedition Diary
- 97 · Analyzing Diary/Journal Format
- 98 · The Expedition Diary: Theme
- 99 · Comparing The Expedition Diary to Your Own Journal
- 101 · A New Story: The Essay Contest
- 102 · Analyzing the Character's Writing Process
- 103 · The Essay Contest: Theme
- 104 · Analyzing the Character's Essay Structure
- 106 · Reading Model Historical Essays
- 107 · Checking the Model Essay's Evidence
- 108 · Comparing the Model Essay to Your Own Plan
- 109 · Cumulative Review: Argument-Reading Skills
- 111 · A New Story: The Interview
- 112 · Analyzing How the Character Listens
- 113 · The Interview: Theme
- 114 · Comparing The Interview to Your Own Historical Interview
- 116 · Cumulative Review: Determining Theme
- 117 · Cumulative Review: Nonfiction Structures
- 118 · Choosing a Favorite Book for a Reading List
- 119 · Reflecting on Your Reading Journey
- 121 · A New Story: The Time Capsule Committee
- 122 · Analyzing How the Characters Compromise
- 123 · The Time Capsule Committee: Theme
- 124 · Comparing This Story to Your Own Time Capsule Choices
Plus 7 review days, not listed.
The last story & a year of reviewDays 126–135
Cumulative review of a full year of fiction and nonfiction, choosing books for a reading time capsule, and the final story, The Board Game Designers (teamwork, disagreement, theme).
- 126 · Cumulative Review: A Full Year of Fiction
- 127 · Cumulative Review: A Full Year of Nonfiction
- 128 · Choosing Books for a Reading Time Capsule
- 129 · Reflecting on a Full Year of Reading Growth
- 131 · A New Story: The Board Game Designers
- 132 · Analyzing How the Team Solves Creative Disagreements
- 133 · The Board Game Designers: Theme
- 134 · Comparing This Story to Your Own Game Design
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Review, assessment practice & year-end celebrationDays 136–180
No new texts: cumulative reviews, practice assessments, a trivia marathon, a reading certificate and time capsule project, reflection writing, a presentation, final quizzes, a letter to next year's self, and a completion celebration.
- 136 · Final Cumulative Review: Part 1
- 137 · Final Cumulative Review: Part 2
- 138 · Preparing for Grade 7 Reading
- 139 · Reading Skills Certificate Project
- 141 · Reading Year in Review: My Favorite Stories
- 142 · Reading Trivia Marathon
- 143 · Reviewing Your Reading Certificate
- 144 · Rereading a Favorite Text with New Eyes
- 146 · Reading 6 Final Assessment Practice: Part 1
- 147 · Reading 6 Final Assessment Practice: Part 2
- 148 · Reflecting on a Full Year of Reading 6: Part 1
- 149 · Reflecting on a Full Year of Reading 6: Part 2
- 151 · Final Cumulative Review: Craft and Language
- 152 · Final Cumulative Review: Nonfiction Structure and Purpose
- 153 · Reading 6 Final Challenge: Skills Marathon
- 154 · Reading 6 Final Assessment Practice: Comprehensive
- 156 · Reading Year in Review: A Complete Look Back
- 157 · Finalizing Your Reading Certificate
- 158 · Finalizing Your Reading Time Capsule
- 159 · Reflecting on a Full Year of Reading 6: Final Thoughts
- 161 · Practicing Your Reading Time Capsule Presentation
- 162 · Reviewing Skills for Grade 7
- 163 · Reading Fun Day: Free Choice Reading
- 164 · Sharing a Book with a Younger Student
- 166 · Reading Memory Book: My Favorite Moments
- 167 · A Letter to Yourself Next Year
- 168 · Final Reading Skills Check-In
- 169 · Preparing to Celebrate Completing Reading 6
- 171 · Final Reading Time Capsule Presentation
- 172 · Final Cumulative Quiz: Fiction Skills
- 173 · Final Cumulative Quiz: Nonfiction and Argument Skills
- 174 · Final Cumulative Quiz: Craft and Vocabulary
- 176 · Sharing Your Letter to Future You
- 177 · Reading 6 Completion Celebration: Part 1
- 178 · Reading 6 Completion Celebration: Part 2
- 179 · Looking Ahead to Grade 7 Reading
- 180 · Congratulations! You Completed Reading 6!
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
By the end of the year, your child can
- Cite specific evidence from a text to support what they say about it
- Find the theme of a story and explain how the author builds it
- Write an objective summary of a story or article
- Tell supported claims from unsupported ones and judge how strong an argument is
- Compare two texts on the same topic or theme, including different genres
- Explain how word choice, figurative language and point of view shape tone and meaning
Other 6th Grade subjects: Math 6 · Writing 6 · Science 6 · History 6