ENGLISH 6 * * * Mrs. Swaney
The sixth-grade English program is divided between Mr. Decker, Mrs.
Hand, and me. Although each contributes a personal touch, the programs
contain similar content, and we work together to coordinate the English
program.
Last year, we discovered that students achieved a great deal of
success through the integration of reading in our English program. This year
we have extended that concept to include more literature in a variety of
genres to complete our language arts curriculum, creatively incorporating the
Ohio standards through meaningful writing and response to literature.
Research provides evidence that grammar worksheets do not generally
carry over to student-constructed writing, so we have chosen a unit-oriented
writing program. Because writing can be challenging and sometimes seem rather
subjective to grade, we incorporate rubrics to assess writing. Also, we
employ a recursive component to our curriculum that includes spelling packets
and tests and DOL (Daily Oral Language) practice.
• Spelling
o Packets distributed on Mondays
o Packets graded in class on Thursdays
o Tests on Friday
• DOL
o Packets distributed on Tuesdays after quiz
o Reviewed each day in class
o Answer sheet goes home on Friday
o Quizzes on Tuesday.
WRITING
This year students will read, study the craft of, and attempt to
emulate authors including: Ray Bradbury, Christopher Paul Curtis, Edgar
Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, and Mark Twain.
READ MAGAZINE
This year we will be studying current and classic literature through
Read Magazine. Students will enjoy letters, diaries, fiction, nonfiction,
and reader's theatres, and student will have access to fun electronic issues.
➢ Ohio Writing Standards
Writing Processes
Students’ writing develops when they regularly engage in the major phases of
the writing process.
The writing process includes the phases of prewriting, drafting, revising and
editing and publishing.
They learn to plan their writing for different purposes and audiences. They
learn to apply their
writing skills in increasingly sophisticated ways to create and produce
compositions that reflect
effective word and grammatical choices. Students develop revision strategies
to improve the content,
organization and language of their writing. Students also develop editing
skills to improve writing
conventions.
Benchmark A. Generate writing topics and establish a purpose appropriate for
the audience.
1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed
material, and keep a list
of writing ideas.
2. Conduct background reading, interviews or surveys when appropriate.
3. Establish a thesis statement for informational writing or a plan for
narrative writing.
Benchmark B. Determine audience and purpose for self-selected and assigned
writing tasks.
4. Determine a purpose and audience.
Benchmark C. Clarify ideas for writing assignments by using graphics or other
organizers.
5. Use organizational strategies (e.g., rough outlines, diagrams, maps, webs
and Venn diagrams) to
plan writing.
Benchmark D. Use revision strategies to improve the overall organization, the
clarity and consistency
of ideas within and among paragraphs and the logic and effectiveness of word
choices.
6. Organize writing, beginning with an introduction, body and a resolution of
plot, followed by
closing statement or a summary of important ideas and details.
7. Vary simple, compound and complex sentence structures.
8. Group related ideas into paragraphs, including topic sentences following
paragraph form, and
maintain a consistent focus across paragraphs.
9. Vary language and style as appropriate to audience and purpose.
10. Use available technology to compose text.
11. Reread and analyze clarity of writing.
12. Add and delete information and details to better elaborate on a stated
central idea and to more
effectively accomplish purpose.
13. Rearrange words, sentences and paragraphs, and add transitional words and
phrases to clarify
meaning.
Benchmark E. Select more effective vocabulary when editing by using a variety
of resources and
reference materials.
14. Use resources and reference materials (e.g., dictionaries and
thesauruses) to select more
effective vocabulary.
Benchmark F. Edit to improve fluency, grammar and usage.
15. Proofread writing, edit to improve conventions (e.g., grammar, spelling,
punctuation and
capitalization) and identify and correct fragments and run-ons.
Benchmark G. Apply tools to judge the quality of writing.
16. Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality
of writing.
Benchmark H. Prepare writing for publication that is legible, follows an
appropriate format and uses
techniques such as electronic resources and graphics.
17. Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others)
writing that follows a format
appropriate to the purpose, using such techniques as electronic resources,
principles of design (e.g.,
margins, tabs, spacing and columns) and graphics (e.g., drawings, charts and
graphs) to enhance the
final product.
Writing Applications
Students need to understand that various types of writing require different
language, formatting and
special vocabulary. Writing serves many purposes across the curriculum and
takes various forms.
Beginning writers learn about the various purposes of writing; they attempt
and use a small range of
familiar forms (e.g., letters). Developing writers are able to select text
forms to suit purpose and
audience. They can explain why some text forms are more suited to a purpose
than others and begin
to use content-specific vocabulary to achieve their communication goals.
Proficient writers control
effectively the language and structural features of a large repertoire of
text forms. They deliberately
choose vocabulary to enhance text and structure in their writing according to
audience and purpose.
Benchmark A. Use narrative strategies (e.g., dialogue and action) to develop
characters, plot and
setting and to maintain a consistent point of view.
1. Write narratives that maintain a clear focus and point of view and use
sensory details and dialogue
to develop plot, characters, and a specific setting.
6. Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems) for various
purposes.
Benchmark B. Write responses to literature that extend beyond the summary and
support judgments
through references to the text.
2. Write responses to novels, stories, poems and plays that provide an
interpretation, critique or
reflection and that support judgments with specific references to the text.
Benchmark C. Produce letters (e.g., business, letters to the editor, job
applications) that address
audience needs, stated purpose and context in a clear and efficient manner.
3. Write letters that state the purpose, make requests or give compliments
and use business letter
format.
Benchmark D. Produce informational essays or reports that convey a clear and
accurate perspective
and support the main ideas with facts, details, examples and explanations.
4. Write informational essays or reports, including research, that present a
literal understanding of
the topic, include specific facts, details and examples from multiple sources
and create an
organizing structure appropriate to the purpose, audience and context.
Benchmark E. Use persuasive strategies, including establishing a clear
position in support of a
proposition or a proposal with organized and relevant evidence.
5. Write persuasive essays that establish a clear position and include
organized and relevant
information to support ideas.
Writing Conventions
Students learn to master writing conventions through exposure to good models
and opportunities for
practice. Writing conventions include spelling, punctuation, grammar and
other conventions
associated with forms of written text. They learn the purposes of
punctuation: to clarify sentence
meaning and help readers know how writing might sound aloud. They develop and
extend their
understanding of the spelling system, using a range of strategies for
spelling words correctly and
using newly learned vocabulary in their writing. They grow more skillful at
using the grammatical
structures of English to effectively communicate ideas in writing and to
express themselves.
Benchmark A. Use correct spelling conventions.
1. Spell frequently misspelled and high-frequency words correctly.
Benchmark B. Use conventions of punctuation and capitalization in written
work.
2. Use commas, end marks, apostrophes and quotation marks correctly.
3. Use semicolons, colons, hyphens, dashes and brackets.
4. Use correct capitalization.
Benchmark C. Use grammatical structures to effectively communicate ideas in
writing.
5. Use all eight parts of speech (e.g., noun, pronoun, verb, adverb,
adjective, conjunction,
preposition, interjection).
6. Use verbs, including perfect tenses, transitive and intransitive verbs and
linking verbs.
7. Use nominative, objective, possessive, indefinite and relative pronouns.
8. Use subject-verb agreement with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns,
compound subjects and
prepositional phrases.
Research
Students define and investigate self-selected or assigned issues, topics and
problems. They locate,
select and make use of relevant information from a variety of media,
reference and technological
sources. Students use an appropriate form to communicate their findings.
Benchmark A. Formulate open-ended research questions suitable for inquiry and
investigation and
develop a plan for gathering information.
1. Generate a topic, assigned or personal interest, and open-ended questions
for research and
develop a plan for gathering information.
Benchmark B. Locate and summarize important information from multiple sources.
2. Identify appropriate sources, and gather relevant information from
multiple sources (e.g., school
library catalogs, online databases, electronic resources and Internet-based
resources).
3. Identify elements of validity in sources, including publication date,
coverage, language, points of
view, and discuss primary and secondary sources.
Benchmark C. Organize information in a systematic way.
4. Identify important information found in sources and paraphrase the
findings in a systematic way
(e.g., notes, outlines, charts, tables, graphic organizers).
5. Compare and contrast important findings and select sources to support
central ideas, concepts
and themes.
Benchmark D. Acknowledge quoted and paraphrased information and document
sources used.
6. Use quotations to support ideas.
7. Use an appropriate form of documentation, with teacher assistance, to
acknowledge sources (e.g.,
bibliography, works cited).
Benchmark E. Communicate findings orally, visually and in writing or through
multimedia.
8. Use a variety of communication techniques, including oral, visual, written
or multimedia reports,
to present information that supports a clear position with organized and
relevant evidence about the
topic or research question.
Communication: Oral and Visual
Students learn to communicate effectively through exposure to good models and
opportunities for
practice. By speaking, listening and providing and interpreting visual
images, they learn to apply their
communication skills in increasingly sophisticated ways. Students learn to
deliver presentations that
effectively convey information and persuade or entertain audiences.
Proficient speakers control
language and deliberately choose vocabulary to clarify points and adjust
presentations according to
audience and purpose.
Benchmark A. Use effective listening strategies, summarize major ideas and
draw logical inferences
from presentations and visual media.
1. Demonstrate active listening strategies (e.g., asking focused questions,
responding to cues,
making visual contact).
2. Summarize the main idea and draw conclusions from presentations and visual
media.
Benchmark B. Explain a speaker’s point of view and use of persuasive
techniques in presentations
and visual media.
3. Interpret the speaker’s purpose in presentations and visual media (e.g.,
to inform, to entertain, to
persuade).
4. Identify the persuasive techniques (e.g., bandwagon, testimonial,
glittering generalities, emotional
word repetition and bait and switch) used in presentations and media messages.
Benchmark C. Vary language choice and use effective presentation techniques,
including voice
modulation and enunciation.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language and
select language
appropriate to purpose and audience.
6. Use clear diction and tone, and adjust volume, phrasing and tempo to
stress important ideas.
7. Adjust speaking content and style according to the needs of the situation,
setting and audience.
Benchmark D. Select an organizational structure appropriate to the topic,
audience, setting and
purpose.
8. Deliver informational presentations (e.g., expository, research) that:
a. demonstrate an understanding of the topic and present events or ideas in a
logical sequence;
b. support the controlling idea or thesis with relevant facts, details,
examples, quotations, statistics,
stories and anecdotes;
c. include an effective introduction and conclusion and use a consistent
organizational structure
(e.g., cause-effect, compare-contrast);
d. use appropriate visual materials (e.g., diagrams, charts, illustrations)
and available technology;
and
e. draw from multiple sources and identify sources use
Benchmark E. Present ideas in a logical sequence and use effective
introductions and conclusions
that guide and inform a listener’s understanding of key ideas.
8. Deliver informational presentations (e.g., expository, research) that:
a. demonstrate an understanding of the topic and present events or ideas in a
logical sequence;
b. support the controlling idea or thesis with relevant facts, details,
examples, quotations, statistics,
stories and anecdotes;
c. include an effective introduction and conclusion and use a consistent
organizational structure
(e.g., cause-effect, compare-contrast);
d. use appropriate visual materials (e.g., diagrams, charts, illustrations)
and available technology;
and
e. draw from multiple sources and identify sources use
Benchmark F. Give presentations using a variety of delivery methods, visual
materials and
technology.
9. Deliver formal and informal descriptive presentations that convey relevant
information and
descriptive details.
10. Deliver persuasive presentations that:
a. establish a clear position;
b. include relevant evidence to support position and to address potential
concerns of listeners; and
c. follow common organizational structures when appropriate (e.g., cause-
effect, compare-contrast,
problem-solution).
