North Carolina's 6th-grade English Language Arts (ELA) standards are designed to build upon foundational literacy skills, fostering critical thinking, communication, and a deep appreciation for literature. This guide provides a detailed overview of these standards, breaking them down into manageable sections to help students, parents, and educators alike.
Reading Literature
Sixth-grade reading literature standards in North Carolina focus on a student's ability to comprehend complex texts, analyze literary elements, and make connections between the text and their own lives and the world around them. Key areas include:
Key Ideas and Details:
- Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Students learn to go beyond simply summarizing and actively engage with the text to support their interpretations. This involves identifying key details, making connections between ideas, and drawing conclusions based on evidence.
- Determine a theme or 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. This requires students to move beyond plot summary and identify the underlying message or central idea of the text. They must also differentiate between the text's message and their own personal responses.
- Describe how a particular point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. Students will analyze how the author's perspective and intentions influence the text's message and writing style. This involves identifying bias, understanding tone, and considering the author's purpose in writing the text.
Craft and Structure:
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. This involves understanding vocabulary in context, identifying figurative language (metaphors, similes, etc.), and analyzing how word choice contributes to the overall meaning and tone of the text.
- Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas. Students will examine how the individual parts of a text work together to create a cohesive whole. This involves understanding organizational patterns and the relationships between different sections of the text.
- Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text. Students will analyze how the author crafts the narrator's voice and perspective, and how this impacts the reader's understanding of the story.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
- Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics. Students develop comparative analysis skills by examining how different texts address the same themes or topics using diverse forms and styles.
- By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. This standard emphasizes the importance of independent reading and comprehension of increasingly complex texts.
Reading Informational Text
Similar to literature, informational text standards emphasize critical reading, analysis, and synthesis of information.
Key Ideas and Details:
- Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. This mirrors the literature standard, emphasizing the importance of using evidence from the text to support claims and interpretations.
- Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an objective summary of the text. Students learn to identify the main points of an informational text and summarize them without personal opinions or bias.
- Analyze in detail the development of central ideas, concepts, and information in a text; provide an objective summary of the text. This delves deeper into the analysis of central ideas, examining how they are developed and supported throughout the text.
Craft and Structure:
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. This expands vocabulary development to include technical terms and specific meanings within the context of informational texts.
- Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an event or a topic. Students examine the author's intention in writing the text and how this influences the content and structure.
- Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas. This focuses on how the organization of the text supports the overall message and flow of information.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
- Compare and contrast the information presented by two or more authors on the same topic in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally). This emphasizes the importance of evaluating information from multiple sources and comparing different perspectives on the same topic.
- Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. This introduces students to critical evaluation of arguments and the ability to identify flaws in reasoning or evidence.
- By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. This standard underscores the importance of independent reading and comprehension of increasingly complex informational texts.
Writing
The writing standards in 6th grade emphasize clear communication, organization, and the use of evidence to support claims.
Text Types and Purposes:
- Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. Students learn to construct well-supported arguments, using logical reasoning and evidence to persuade the reader.
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. This involves organizing information logically, using precise language, and providing clear explanations.
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Students practice crafting engaging narratives with compelling details and a clear structure.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. This emphasizes the importance of adapting writing style and organization based on the context.
- 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. This highlights the iterative nature of the writing process and the importance of seeking feedback.
- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. This emphasizes the integration of technology into the writing process.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge:
- Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. This promotes independent research skills and the ability to formulate research questions.
- Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. This emphasizes the importance of evaluating sources and using information ethically.
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. This reinforces the use of textual evidence to support claims and interpretations.
Speaking and Listening
These standards focus on effective communication, active listening, and collaborative discussions.
Comprehension and Collaboration:
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 6–8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. This emphasizes effective communication and collaboration in various settings.
- Determine the speaker's point of view or purpose in a text; analyze the audience, the purpose, and the message. This involves critical listening and the ability to discern the speaker's intentions and perspectives.
- Identify aspects of a speaker's presentation that are effective and ineffective; explain how they could improve their presentation. This fosters critical analysis of presentations and the ability to provide constructive feedback.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:
- Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. This focuses on delivering clear and effective presentations.
- Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. This emphasizes the importance of adapting language to different situations and audiences.
This comprehensive guide provides a detailed overview of the North Carolina 6th-grade ELA standards. Remember to consult the official North Carolina Department of Public Instruction website for the most up-to-date and complete information. This guide is intended to be a helpful resource, but it should not replace the official standards document.
