READING CURRICULUM
Sixth Grade
March 2002

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Standard 1: Learners demonstrate skill in reading a variety of materials for a variety of purposes. 

Benchmark 1: The proficient reader comprehends whole pieces of narration, exposition, persuasion, and technical writing. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

5. follow directions explained in technical writing. (Technology class)
6. summarize the text. 
7. choose a purpose for reading a given text. 
8. identify the author's point of view. 
9. understand techniques used to convey viewpoint, such as word choice, language structure, and context. 
10. compare and contrast ideas and concepts from multiple sources. 
11. use text organizers, such as headings, topic and summary sentences, and graphic features, to locate information within a text. 

Benchmark 2: The proficient reader decodes accurately and understands new words in reading materials. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. use context clues, such as definition, restatement, example, comparison and contrast, to determine meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary. 
2. infer word meanings by the use of relationships, such as analogies, similes, and metaphors. 
3. apply thesaurus, glossary, and dictionary skills to determine the appropriate-ness of word meaning. 
4. identify and/ or use multiple meanings of words. 
5. use roots and affixes to determine meanings of unknown words. 

Benchmark 3: The proficient ¤ reader reads fluently. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. utilize natural speech rhythms with oral readings. 

3. use their understanding of vocabulary, punctuation, and sentence structure to assist in reading fluently. 

Benchmark 4: The proficient reader uses what he/ she already knows about the topic and the type of text to understand what is read. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. use knowledge of structural elements to assist in understanding various genres, such as drama, poetry, novel, and short story. 
2. use knowledge of structural elements to assist in understanding various informational texts, such as essay, news story, historical document, periodical, and catalog. 

Benchmark 5: The proficient reader draws conclusions supported by the text. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. identify a theme in a narrative text. 
2. identify a topic in an expository text. 
3. locate evidence that supports conclusions drawn from a single text.
4. determine whether or not their purposes for reading, such as to understand, interpret, enjoy, solve problems, predict outcomes, answer specific questions, form opinions, skim for facts, have been met. 

Standard 2: Learners write effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts. 

Benchmark 1: A proficient writer uses ideas that are well developed, clear and interesting. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. produce compositions that have one main idea and support the main idea with details. 
2. understand and use strategies, which may include brainstorming, listing, webbing, working in pairs or cooperative groups, and gleaning information from print sources, for generating ideas. 

Benchmark 2: The proficient writer uses authentic and appropriate voice. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. use language that brings the topic to life through originality, liveliness, humor, or suspense. 

3. use voice appropriate for the purpose and audience. 

Benchmark 3: The proficient writer uses organization that enhances the reader's understanding. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. write a coherent and cohesive piece with a clear introduction, supporting ideas, and a conclusion. 
2. write introductions that draw the reader in. 
3. write supporting details presented in a logical order. 
4. use transitions to allow ideas to flow smoothly within and between paragraphs. 
5. write conclusions that provide a sense of resolution. 

Benchmark 4: The proficient writer uses effective word choice. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. choose words and phrases appropriate for purpose and such audiences as peers, teachers, and community. 
2. choose precise words such as powerful verbs, specific nouns, and vivid adjectives and adverbs. 

Benchmark 5: The proficient writer uses clear and fluent sentences. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. vary sentence structure (simple, compound, and complex) and the length of sentences for more effective writing. 
2. write so that the flow of the writing is rhythmic and natural.
3. use dialogue that sounds natural. 

Benchmark 6: The proficient writer uses standard American English conventions. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. use complete sentences.
2. use appropriate paragraphing. 
3. correctly use a wide range of conventions, such as spelling, end marks, commas, quotation marks, semicolons, colons, subject and verb agreement, and pronoun agreement. 
4. write so that only light editing is needed to polish the text for publication. 

Benchmark 7: The proficient writer uses a writing process that includes preparation, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing to produce a written document. Students are taught and given practice using a writing process at each grade level with content and expectations that are progressively more challenging and appropriate for that grade level. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. generate ideas, narrow the topic, and gather and organize the information about the selected topic. 
2. write a draft about the selected topic. 
3. revise the draft to clarify and add ideas to reorganize and eliminate extraneous information, to produce an improved product. 
4. proofread and edit their and their peers' revisions for conventions ¤ , including spelling and appropriate format.
5. generate a legible final copy for presentation. 

Benchmark 9: The proficient writer uses a variety of modes of writing for different purposes and audiences. 

Indicators: 
The students:

2. write narrative pieces, which may include personal narrative, autobiography, and short story. 

4. write persuasive pieces, which may include letter to the editor, advertisement, and essay. 

6. write for the purpose of explaining.

Standard 3: Learners demonstrate knowledge of literature from a variety of cultures, genres, and time periods. 

Benchmark 1: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of cultures on literature. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. analyze ¤ the impact of culture on a character. 
2. compare and contrast custom, idea, and belief within literature from a variety of cultures. 

Benchmark 2: The proficient reader identifies characteristics of a wide variety of literary genres in various formats. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. identify fiction and nonfiction and a variety of genres, such as science fiction, poetry, high fantasy, autobiography, biography, and informational text. 

Benchmark 3: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of time periods on literature. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. connect main events in the literature to historical context.

Standard 4: Learners demonstrate skills needed to read and respond to literature. 

Benchmark 1: The proficient reader uses literary concepts to interpret literature. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. identify elements of fiction and drama, such as initiating event, characters' goals, attempts, and outcomes. 
2. make inferences and draw conclusions about story elements, such as theme, plot, setting, character. 
3. recognize use of literary devices, such as foreshadowing, flashback, and figurative language. 
4. recognize elements of exposition, such as definition with example, cause and effect, comparison and contrast, description, sequence. 

Benchmark 2: The proficient reader evaluates literature with criteria based on purposes for reading and derived from time periods and cultures. 

Indicators: 
The students: 

1. interpret connections between characters and events in literature and people and events in their lives. 
2. justify interpretations made for a group of peers with evidence from the text. 
3. select literature from a variety of perspectives such as biographical, historical, and sociological. 
4. apply criteria of evaluation, such as author's intent ¤ and appropriate audience.