6th Grade English Language Arts Curriculum Map

Gray Middle School

SpringBoard
Unit
(# and Title)

Measuring Changes:
(Unit 4 in
SpringBoard)
Skills and vocabulary to
be embedded through
all units

Timeline

Embed throughout Year

Unit Goals

Embedded
Assessments

Essential
Questions

To recognize personal
and academic change
and growth over time.
To practice thoughtful
reflection.
To build global revision
skills.
To set goals for future
reading and writing.

Revising, Reflecting, and

Publishing components
integrated in embedded
assessments in all units

Why is it important to
reflect on personal
change and growth?
Why does successful
writing require global
revision?

Unit 1:
Changes in Me
Independent Reading: Autobiographical, Fiction,
Nonfiction Narratives

August - November / 11 weeks

Unit 2: Changes in My
World Independent
Reading: Narratives &
News

Mid November End January / 8-9 weeks

Unit 3:
Identify ,Changes, Holes
Possible Independent Reading: Other Louis
Sachar works

Feb - April / 7 weeks

Testing
Window

Last 14 days
of School
Year

Unit 5:
Changing Times and Places Independent Reading:
Science Fiction & Nonfiction Re:inventors /
Inventions

April End of Year / 6 weeks

Define change, and identify the types of change that

adolescents encounter.
Make thematic connections among texts and between
texts and your own life.
Use descriptive language in writing both narrative and
expository text.
Understand and explain the relationship between cause
and effect.

To explore the craft of storytelling and write a short

story.
To recognize essential elements of plot, point of view,
characterization and setting.
To build oral reading fluency.
To write using precise adjectives and adverbs.

To explore the concept of voice through both reading

and writing.
To read challenging texts, both fiction and nonfiction,
with fluency and comprehension.
To identify elements of legends and myths present in a
contemporary work of fiction.
To identify how a character is presented and how he or
she changes throughout a novel.
To develop writing skills through various stages of the
writing process.

To research, gather and organize content to achieve

purpose for a presentation.
To relate setting to action, characterization, and plot.
To define, identify, and analyze various elements of
drama.
To rehearse and present an engaging performance.

EA#1: Writing a Personal Narrative About an Incident

That Changed Me -- use for common building/district
assessment
EA#2: Writing an Expository Essay about a Change in Me

EA#1: Creating a Short Story --use for common

building/district assessment
EA#2: Producing a TV News Story

EA#1: Writing Letters in the Voices of Characters

EA#2: Writing a Character Analysis Essay -- use for
common building/district assessment

EA#1: Researching and Presenting an Item That Has

Changed Over Time

Note: For EA #2, consider collaborating with social studies

teachers; unit goals align with social studies standards

What is the relationship between change and growth?

How do writers use different modes to express their
ideas?

Note: For EA #1, consider collaborating with social studies

teachers; unit goals align with social studies standards
Note: For EA #2, consider collaborating with social studies
teachers; unit goals align with social studies standards
How are people influenced by changes in their worlds?
How does a writer effectively craft a story

EA#2:Transforming and Performing a scene from a Play

How do internal and external factors influence ones
self-perception?
How does voice relate to audience and purpose?

1/08/2014

Why do objects change over time, and how does this

change affect society?
How does setting affect characterization and plot?

SpringBoard
Unit
(# and Title)

Power
Activities
(Number and
Title)

Measuring Changes:
(Unit 4 in
SpringBoard)
Skills and vocabulary to
be embedded through
all units

4.6 Applying Reading

Strategies
4.8 Applying Revision
Strategies: Adding
4.9 Applying Revision
Strategies: Replacing
4.10 Applying Revision
Strategies: Deleting
Note: Teach & review
revision strategies lessons
(Activities 4.8-4.10) within
the other units
See bold writing
process in Vocabulary

Basic Skills
(Grammar/
Writing
Process)

Ellipses Points,
Compound Sentence,
Independent Clause

Unit 1:
Changes in Me
Independent Reading: Autobiographical, Fiction,
Nonfiction Narratives

Unit 2: Changes in My
World Independent
Reading: Narratives &
News

EA 1
1.1 Previewing the Unit
1.2 Planning to Revisit, Revise and Reflect
1.3 The Idea of Change
1.6 A Lions Narrative
1.7 Memory Map (Consider using this as the prewrite for
EA1)
1.8 Family Stories
1.9 Getting Superpowers
1.10 Narrative Openings
1.11 What Makes a Good Narrative
EA 2
1.13 Explaining Change
1.14 Changing Narrative to Expository Consider alternate
expository texts
1.15 Using Context Clues
1.16 Changes in Three Arrows
1.17 Reading The Jacket
1.18 The Mermaid Speaks

EA 1
2.1 Previewing the Unit
2.2 A Toys World
2.3 Changes in My World
2.5 Changes in Simbas World
2.6 Play Ball: Part 1
2.7 Play Ball: Part 2
2.8 Picturing Green Gables
2.9 He Said, She Said
OR
2.10 Character Changes
2.11 Writing about a Chance Encounter, consider Step 8
only
EA 2
2.12 Understanding TV News
2.13 The Parts of a News Story
2.17 Meet the Watsons

EA1
verbs (state of being verbs and action verbs)
nouns
subject
predicate
adjectives
dialogue punctuation
quotation marks
dialogue tags
vivid verbs
active and passive verbs
EA2
semicolon
simple sentences
compound sentences
clause
compound subjects
compound predicates
parentheses
pronouns
interjections
adverbs

Unit 3:
Identify ,Changes, Holes
Possible Independent Reading: Other Louis
Sachar works

Testing
Window

Unit 5:
Changing Times and Places Independent
Reading: Science Fiction & Nonfiction
Re:inventors / Inventions

EA 1
3.1 Previewing the Unit
3.2 Changes: Voluntary & Involuntary
3.3 Character Presented in a Film Clip
3.4 Character Analysis in Bad Boy
3.5 Finding & Using Textual Evidence
3.6 Walter Says Thank You
3.9 Beginning the Journey
3.10 You are Entering Camp Green Lake
3.11 Visualizing the Subplot
3.12 Vocabulary in Context
3.13 The New Kid
3.14 / 3.16 Tracing Stanleys Character, consider jigsaw or
as ongoing assignment
3.15 Writing a Letter Home
3.19 Stanley & Zero
3.20 Kissin Kate Barlow
EA 2
3.22 Visualizing Vocabulary
3.24 Hector Zeroni
3.25 Evolution of the Caveman

EA 1
5.1 Previewing the Unit
5.2 Passing of Time
5.3 Recognizing How Time Relates to Change
5.4 Creating a Works Cited Page
5.5 Technology Changes

EA 1
adverbs, quotation marks, dialogue, preposition,
prepositional phrase, subject, predicate

EA 1
parallel structures, commas (listing), action verbs, diction,
syntax

No new concepts introduced

EA 2
subject verb agreement, verb tense, commonly confused
words (pg 172)

EA 2
transitions (coherence)

Note: For the second half of Unit 2, consider alternate

texts (narratives from Unit 1, social studies text, etc.)

1/08/2014

Note: For EA 1, consider collaborating with social studies

teachers; unit goals align with social studies standards
5.6 Forced Changes
5.7 Tone Changes
5.8 Readers Theater
5.10 Poetry Presentation
5.11 Creating a Dramatic Script from a Poem
5.13 Guided Reading of Rip Van Winkle
5.14 Poetry Performance
5.16 Playing with Time Periods

6th Grade Language Arts Curriculum Map

SpringBoard
Unit
(# and Title)

Measuring
Changes:
(Unit 4 in
SpringBoard)
Skills and vocabulary
to be embedded
through all units

Local/Global Revision,
Reflect, Reflection,
Diffusing, Genre,
Metaphor,
Personification

Vocabulary

Unit 1:
Changes in Me
Independent
Reading: autobiographical, fiction, nonfiction
narratives
EA1
Fluency, Alliteration, Rhyme Scheme,
Characterization,
Narrative, Point of
View, Expository,
Writing
Cause/Effect
Narrative Writing
Conflict: (external/internal)
Plot, Character
Resolution,Setting
Dialogue,
Chronological
Commentary, Details
Incident, Sequence of Events, Thesis Statement,
Topic Sentence, Hook (Lead), AQQS, Transitions,
Sensory Details
Graphic Organizer
Summary

Unit 2: Changes in
My World
Independent
Reading:
narratives & news
EA1
Short Story, Figurative
Language, Monologue Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling
Action, Prewriting, Theme, Meta-cognitive Markers, Character
Traits, Personification
Revision-adding, deleting, replacing
EA2
Anchor, Crawler, Feature (soft news) Story, Graphics, Hard News
Story, Lower Third, MOS Interview, On-camera Reporter,Idiom,
hyperbole, Reflection, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia
Revision-adding, deleting, replacing

Unit 3:
Identify
Changes
Holes
Possible Independent Reading: other Louis Sachar
works
EA1
Internal/External, Diction
Voice,
Personal Letter, Setting
Subplot, Looping, Voluntary, Involuntary, Subjective, Objective,
Inference, Essay, Novel, Omniscient, Flashback, Subplot,
Symbol, Symbolism, Tone, Synonyms, Antonym, Homophone,
Monologue, Textual Evidence, Paraphrase, Purpose, Audience,
Tone, Context, Double Entry Journal

Testing
Window

Unit 5: Changing
Times and
Places
Independent
Reading: science fiction & nonfiction re:inventors /
inventions
EA1
Primary Source, Secondary Source, Artifacts, Research
EA2
Tone, Transform
Presentation, Drama, Performance
Interpretation, Oral Interpretation, Inflection, Pitch, Rate,
Rhythm, Volume, Script, Pantomime, Gestures, Predicting,
Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Rereading, Preview,
collaborate,

Revision-adding, deleting, replacing

Free Verse, Quatrain, Rhyme Scheme
EA2
QHT, Scan, Literary Analysis,
Revision-adding, deleting, replacing

Revision-adding, deleting, replacing

Revision-adding, deleting, replacing

EA2
Introduction Conclusion
Denotation
Connotation
Expository Writing
Opinion, Analogy
Diffusing, Prediction
Textual Evidence
Simile, Metaphor
Revision-adding, deleting, replacing
Writing Workshop 8:
Persuasive Writing

Resources
Reading Extensions

Writing Workshop 1: Writing Process

Writing Workshop 4: Personal Narrative
Writing Workshop 6: Expository Texts
Reading Extensions
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Girl Who Owned a City
Parvannas Journey
(Online) Unit Reading Assessment

Writing Workshop 2: Short Story

Writing Workshop 8: Persuasive Writing

Reading Extensions
Watsons Go to Birmingham
Anne of Green Gables
Hunger Games

Writing Workshop 7: Procedural Texts: Informal Letters

Writing Workshop 9: Response to Literature and Expository
Texts
Reading Extensions
Small Steps
Freak the Mighty
Bad Boys

(Online) Unit Reading Assessment

1/08/2014

Writing Workshop 5: Script Writing

Writing Workshop 10: Research
Reading Extensions
Eva
Wrinkle in Time
Transall Saga
Other Readers Theatre