INTEGRATED LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM GUIDE
GRADE 6

Objectives

Core Curr.
Content
Standards

Instructional
Activities

Assessment
(Cross-curricular)
(Multi-cultural)

Resources

GEPA
HSPA
Terra Nova

READING

The student will be able to:

Learn that his/her social, cultural & physical context shape the meaning he/she constructs.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

READING

The student will be able to:

Use strategies to improve understanding as he/she reads.
a) Predictions.
b) Inferences.
c) Skim/scan.
d) Compare/contrast.
e) Summarization.
f) Study Skills.
(Continued.)

1) Use knowledge & experience to
evaluate situations.
2) Think about whether an important
event in the selection might cause
something to happen.
3) Think about the characters &
what they may do next.
Special Education:
- Cooperative learning.

Read sample story excerpts & have
students fill in their prediction chart.

Develop prediction skills by having students write "sequels" to select stories.

Tell students that authors do not directly explain what their characters are thinking & feeling. Instead they show events as
as they occur. Model examples from selections & elicit further examples from students.

Addressing the visual learner, have students work in pairs to answer as many questions as possible about a given photograph. By studying the details in the pictures for clues & by drawing from their own experiences.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. III
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Use strategies to improve understanding as he/she reads.
a) Predictions.
b) Inferences.
c) Skim/scan.
d) Compare/contrast.
e) Summarization.
f) Study Skills.
(Continued.)

Ask students to explain how they inferred the answers to such questions as, "who are the people in the picture?" "Where was the photo taken?" "When was the photo taken?" "What are the people doing?"

Develop cross curricular connection by modeling skim & scan technique utilizing student science &/or social studies text. Remind students that when they skim & scan they are only looking for main ideas or searching for select information. Utilize the Star Ledger Newspaper In Education program to have students practice skimming/scanning.
Special Education:
- Graphic organizers.

R. III
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Use strategies to improve understanding as he/she reads.
a) Predictions.
b) Inferences.
c) Skim/scan.
d) Compare/contrast.
e) Summarization.
f) Study Skills.
(Continued.)

As an ongoing activity that promotes the cross curricular connection, assign "study buddies." When one of the buddies is absent from class, have the other student summarize the learning activities of each class.

Use story maps (character, setting, problem, events, resolution) to drill summarization skills throughout the themes.

Develop the cross curricular connection by having students turn to a chapter in the text of another subject. Have them write down the title & then list who, what, where, when, why & how on index cards. As they skim the chapter & find the answers, they can be recorded on the cards.
Special Education:
- Graphic organizers, cooperative learning,
instead of index cards make a large chart for
larger print if necessary.

R. III
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Use strategies to improve understanding as he/she reads.
a) Predictions.
b) Inferences.
c) Skim/scan.
d) Compare/contrast.
e) Summarization.
f) Study Skills.
(Continued.)

Tell students textbooks are often organized in outline form. Instruct them to skim the chapter, writing down the major headings & sub-headings of various levels. Then have them use this information to create an outline of the chapter.
Special Education:
- Cooperative learning, peer tutoring, buddy
system.

R. III
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Synthesize ideas across texts & experiences to create new understanding.
a) Generalizations.
b) Cause/effect.
(Continued.)

Provide examples of generalizations from the editorial page. Have students find their own & rewrite them to make them more valid.
Special Education:
- Cooperative learning.

Remind students that many events have a cause/effect relationship. Clue words such as "because", "so", & "or" consequently indicate this relationship. Other times, clue words are omitted & readers determine cause/effect by other clues. Model examples from stories. Have students "secretary record" this & other student responses.
Special Education:
- Fish bone map, tree map.

Use webbing to portray how multiple effects evolve into a situation.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

READING

The student will be able to:

Recognize & appreciate an author’s craft in literature.
a) Plot.
b) Setting.
c) Dialogue.
d) Characterization.
e) Point of view.
f) Flashback.
g) Foreshadowing.
h) Mood/tone.
i) Irony.
j) Sound devices.

Using Transparency # 42 introduce story maps which include setting, character, problem, important events & resolution. Employ on an on-going basis to summarize plot.
Special Education:
- Spider maps.

Ask small groups of students to work together to map the plot of a familiar story or favorite TV show. Ask group to share its plot. Have students listen for all elements of the story map.

Have students close their eyes & visualize a favorite setting. Record the setting on the board. Focus attention on sensory details stressing that setting is most widely described using all senses. Provide examples, i.e., the beach: sight -
sand & water; sound - waves crashing; taste - salt air; feel - hot sand under foot; smell - low tide crabs, clams. Use cooperative learning techniques to encourage students to create their own setting.
Special Education:
- Graphic organizers.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. I
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Recognize & appreciate an author’s craft in literature.
a) Plot.
b) Setting.
c) Dialogue.
d) Characterization.
e) Point of view.
f) Flashback.
g) Foreshadowing.
h) Mood/tone.
i) Irony.
j) Sound devices.
(Continued.)

Tell students that authors provide information about characters by description & story clues. Have students chart main characters, description & story clues.
Special Education:
- Graphic organizer.

Present examples from journals/diaries of first person point of view. Allot class time for journal writing &/or a week long diary writing experiment.
Special Education:
- If writing is difficult - record journals on tape
or use computer.

Have students rewrite a familiar folk tale from the first person point of view of one of the villains, i.e., the wolf in Goldilocks or The Three Little Pigs. Present to class & discuss how a different viewpoint changes the story. 

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. I
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Recognize & appreciate an author’s craft in literature.
a) Plot.
b) Setting.
c) Dialogue.
d) Characterization.
e) Point of view.
f) Flashback.
g) Foreshadowing.
h) Mood/tone.
i) Irony.
j) Sound devices.
(Continued.)

Define flashback & foreshadowing. Write the following sentences on the board:
1) "Penny remembered that she left the
book on the picnic table."
2) "Cal touched the key in his pocket.
He would soon be glad he had it."
Review signal words for foreshadowing: "I wonder" & "if only I had known." Review signal words for flashback: "recall" & "remember." Have students go to the board to label sentence. Have the remainder of the class identify additional examples from select stories.
Special Education:
- Highlight signal words.

Ask students to role play a character in a favorite story, book, movie, or television show. Have each student provide a flashback that gives information about the past experience of the character. Suggest that the flashbacks should help explain why the characters act as they do.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. I
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Recognize & appreciate an author’s craft in literature.
a) Plot.
b) Setting.
c) Dialogue.
d) Characterization.
e) Point of view.
f) Flashback.
g) Foreshadowing.
h) Mood/tone.
i) Irony.
j) Sound devices.
(Continued.)

Brainstorm with students a list of adjectives that describe the mood at an amusement park, museum, or doctor’s waiting room. Write suggestions on the board. Then have students work in pairs to provide details that would help create this mood.
Special Education:
- Word chart, picture charts, graphic organizers.

To introduce irony, begin by exploring that irony always involves a contradiction, i.e., a police station being burglarized.

Use Transparency # 52 for reinforcement. Have students work in pairs to develop brief, oral stories that include an ironic situation. Have students read them to the class & identify irony.
Special Education:
- Tape record stories.

Create a chart of expectations & contradictions. Have students list any situations that come to mind under expectations. Under contradictions, have them list scenes that demonstrate the opposite of expectations. Explain that such contradictions are the basis of irony.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. I
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Recognize & appreciate an author’s craft in literature.
a) Plot.
b) Setting.
c) Dialogue.
d) Characterization.
e) Point of view.
f) Flashback.
g) Foreshadowing.
h) Mood/tone.
i) Irony.
j) Sound devices.
(Continued.)

Create a chart of expectations & contradictions. Have students list any situations that come to mind under expectations. Under contradictions, have them list scenes that demonstrate the opposite of expectations. Explain that such contradictions are the basis of irony.
Special Education:
- Graphic organizer.

Point out/give examples of "hearing images" that writers use called sound device, i.e., rhyme, repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia. Write sentence starters on the board, "Cool Calvin" & "A small snail" - have students complete using either alliteration or rhyme.
Special Education:
- Use tape recorders to demonstrate sounds.

Read: Shloop, Shloop Went My Brother,
& Who Was Hungriest.
Identify onomatopoeic word. 

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. I
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Make inferences within & beyond text to construct meaning.
a) Cause/effect.
b) Draw conclusions.

Have students create a cause/effect flow chart showing the chain of events that proceeds from the initial story event.
Special Education:
- Compare/contrast matrix.

Remind students that signal words such as "because", "since", "so" , "for that reason", & "therefore" signal cause/effect. Have the students complete the following to show a variety of causes & effects:
"My brother wasn’t hungry so…"
"Because the other team arrived late…"
"…for that reason, we went to the
movie on Friday instead."
"…because this book is by Carla’s
favorite author."
Special Education:
- Give examples (model).
Create the following scene. The students are in a desert area with rattlesnakes, cacti, shimmering heat, sand, & huge boulders. There are no animals or birds in sight, but there is a small shelter & a very small water tank. Ask the students to draw conclusions about the place & why they are there.
Special Education:
- Problem/solution outline.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. III
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of text structure to construct meaning.
a) Sequence.
b) Main ideas/supporting
details.
c) Following directions.
d) Theme.

3.4

Identify words that signal sequence, i.e., "first", "second", "then", "next", "finally."
Special Education:
- Use visual prompts.

Write six events from select stories on the board. Ask the students to help you put them in the proper sequence.

Divide the class into groups. Write the story starter found on page T. 275 on the board. Have each group write two more paragraphs for the story, telling about what happened next. Use signal words.
Special Education:
- Role playing (acting out events).

Use outlining as a technique to depict main idea & supporting details.
Special Education:
- Outline formats.

R. I
R. II
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of text structure to construct meaning.
a) Sequence.
b) Main ideas/supporting details.
c) Following directions.
d) Theme.
(Continued.)

3.4

Develop cross curricular connection by having students pick paragraphs from textbooks in other subject areas & identify the main idea & supporting details.
Special Education:
- Concept map # 4.

Ask students to list instances when they have had to follow directions. Discuss some of the problems the students had. Give students a simple project with directions. Have them complete the project & discuss any problems they had.
Special Education:
- Pyramid process.

Develop cross curricular connection by having students pick paragraphs from textbooks in other subject areas & identify the main idea & supporting details.
Special Education:
- Cooperative learning. 

End of unit tests, Class discussion,
Portfolio Assessment, Homework,
Class Projects, Practice Book
Math: Solving multi-step problems by calculating time travel.
(Th. 4, p. 143.)

R. I
R. II
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of text structure to construct meaning.
a) Sequence.
b) Main ideas/supporting details.
c) Following directions.
d) Theme.
(Continued.)

Use Transparency # 81 to depict progression of how to arrive at theme. Present some universal themes, i.e., "crime doesn’t pay", "good triumphs over evil."
Special Education:
- Draw pictures to express meaning, cooperative
learning.

Have students work in small groups. Suggest a theme for each group & have students relate incidents from their experiences that illustrate the theme. Possible themes are "a friend can really help in a bad situation", "persistence pays off", & "we can learn from our parents."

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

READING

The student will be able to:

Monitor & evaluate the meaning he/she constructs.
a) Fact/opinion.
b) Bias/propaganda.
c) Make judgments.
(Continued.)

3.4

Direct students to make a chart listing facts in one column & opinions in the other. Ask students to underline the words or phrases that helped identify them as fact or opinion.

Have students read letters to the editor. Identify the "bias" of the writer. Identify any propaganda that is used to "make the writer’s case."
Special Education:
- Cooperative learning.

Review current issues, i.e., capital punishment, abortion, election issues. Students should be able to identify the propaganda used.
Special Education:
- View news on TV, video tapes, cooperative
learning.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. III
S-9

READING

The student will be able to:

Monitor & evaluate the meaning he/she constructs.
a) Fact/opinion.
b) Bias/propaganda.
c) Make judgments.
(Continued.)

3.4

Present the following situations & questions to groups of students. Have them use facts, logic, examples and experiences to make a judgment.
A new boy at school doesn’t smile when you first meet. Is he unfriendly?
An eleven year old girl spends fourteen hours a week at the pool swimming laps. Is she doing a good thing?
A classmate sees a tiny moving light in the night sky and says it is a spacecraft from another planet. Do you agree?
Special Education:
- Written prompt, cooperative learning.

Ask students to find one character they like and one they do not like from another story or book they have read. Then have them tell the class the reasons for their judgment, listing personal qualities of the characters gleaned from the story. Encourage decisions if students choose same character but have different opinions.
Special Education:
- Write on board or chart two lists for like & do
not like.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

R. III
S-9

VOCABULARY

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of word meanings to construct meaning.
a) Compounds.
b) Multiple meanings.
c) Prefixes, suffixes.
d) Context clues.
e) Greek/Latin roots.
f) Figurative language.
g) Connotation/denotation
h) Synonyms/antonyms/
homonyms/homophones.
i) Analogies.

Using cooperative learning techniques, have students "hunt" for compound words in appropriate selections. Chart compound words & circle the two smaller words & compound.

Divide the class into small groups; ask them to create a "visual dictionary" of multiple meaning words. Cartoon drawings can be used to depict meanings.
Special Education:
- Flip chart for vocabulary.

Use flash cards to assist students in learning prefixes and suffixes. As they are presented, make cards and store in learning activity center for student use.

Model context clue sentences. Assign story vocabulary to pairs of students to create context clue sentences. Exchange & see if students can determine meaning. Improve/refine sentence.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book
Art: Make a cartoon.
(Th. 4, p.109)

W. I
S-9

VOCABULARY

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of word meanings to construct meaning.
a) Compounds.
b) Multiple meanings.
c) Prefixes, suffixes.
d) Context clues.
e) Greek/Latin roots.
f) Figurative language.
g) Connotation/denotation
h) Synonyms/antonyms/
homonyms/homophones.
i) Analogies.
(Continued.)

Develop cross curricular connection in social studies while learning Latin/Greek roots. Divide the class in half. Identify the groups as "Latin Lovers" & "Great Greeks." Have each group research their root origin country. Prepare a poster with geographic & social information. Attach roots & their definitions to posters for display.
Special Education:
- Provide model.

Define & provide examples of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification). Use Transparency # 54 for support. Have students create their own similes & metaphors & illustrate them for display in the classroom.
Special Education:
- Use word bank, cooperative learning.

Have students work together in small groups to write descriptions that compare their everyday emotions & actions with images from nature.
Special Education:
- Venn diagram.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
S-9

VOCABULARY

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of word meanings to construct meaning.
a) Compounds.
b) Multiple meanings.
c) Prefixes, suffixes.
d) Context clues.
e) Greek/Latin roots.
f) Figurative language.
g) Connotation/denotation
h) Synonyms/antonyms/
homonyms/homophones.
i) Analogies.
(Continued.)

Define connotation/denotation. Give example. Tell students that words with a similar meaning can suggest different moods & feelings. Have volunteers act out each of the following situations to demonstrate the connotations.
Hugging something/clutching something.
Sniffing something fragrant/sniffing something smelly.
Special Education:
- Venn diagram, compare/contrast matrix.

Have students prepare visualization of connotation & denotation of words, i.e., the salesperson was smooth, the salesperson was sleek.
Special Education:
- Act out/draw/create story with animated
computer program.

Addressing the kinesthetic learning style, have students write synonym/antonym word pairs on the board. Have students work with a partner to create a pantomime of each pair. As the partners perform, the remainder of the class should guess the pair being acted out.
Special Education:
- Venn diagram.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
S-9

VOCABULARY

The student will be able to:

Use knowledge of word meanings to construct meaning.
a) Compounds.
b) Multiple meanings.
c) Prefixes, suffixes.
d) Context clues.
e) Greek/Latin roots.
f) Figurative language.
g) Connotation/denotation
h) Synonyms/antonyms/
homonyms/homophones.
i) Analogies.
(Continued.)

Set up collaborative learning groups. Have each group select four of the stories’ vocabulary words & present the meaning non-verbally. Students can act out, draw pictures, or provide examples of meanings. Extra credit can be given for examples of synonyms & antonyms.
Special Education:
- Mnemonic devices can be used to connect
spelling & meaning.

Tell students that an analogy is a comparison between two pairs of words in which each word pair has the same relationship. Use the following as illustrations:
Classroom:school:: kitchen: _____
Goal:soccer::home run:_____
Misery:miserable::comfort: ______

Have students tour the classroom & gather or list related objects for analogies. Let pairs of students create several analogy pairs, leaving the last word out. Then invite pairs to exchange & complete each analogy.
Special Education:
- Peer tutoring, use Venn diagram.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
S-9

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Develop descriptive writing skills.

a) Adjectives/adverbs.
b) Synonyms.
c) Verbs.
d) Figurative language.
e) Details.
f) Dialogue.

3.3

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
W. II
S-9

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Develop descriptive writing skills.
a) Adjectives/adverbs.
b) Synonyms.
c) Verbs.
d) Figurative language.
e) Details.
f) Dialogue.
(Continued.)

3.3

Have the students identify the kind of details appropriate for each topic. Brainstorm details, write a paragraph & exchange for peer editing. Present final drafts to the class.
Special Education:
- Cooperative learning, peer editing form, use
computer.

Ask students to suggest subjects for a piece of descriptive writing, such as a fictional character. Have the class list characteristics of the subject & create similes & metaphors for those characteristics. Write the similes & metaphors in a word web on the board. Have students write a descriptive paragraph that uses similes & metaphors.

Write an essay describing an experience affected by extreme weather conditions. Then use a thesaurus to replace some of the nouns, verbs, & adjectives with more interesting synonyms.
Special Education:
- Use computer.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
W. II
S-9

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Develop descriptive writing skills.
a) Adjectives/adverbs.
b) Synonyms.
c) Verbs.
d) Figurative language.
e) Details.
f) Dialogue.
(Continued.)

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Organize paragraphs in a variety of forms.
a) Spatially.
b) Chronologically.
c) Compare/contrast.
d) Order of importance.
(Continued.)

3.3

To illustrate the concept of time order, call on a student to tell the story of a recent movie or TV show. Write any time order words used on the board. Discuss the reasons ____. Explain that writers often use chronological order so readers will understand sequence of events.
Special Education:
- Use tree map.

Encourage students to write a paragraph telling something they have done, such as a trip taken, or a learned activity. Have students use time order words to develop their story chronologically. Exchange for peer editing before sharing with the class.
Special Education:
- Brainstorm time ordered words - list on board,
peer editing form.

Discuss ways compare/contrast paragraphs can be organized.
Feature by feature.
List similarities, then differences.
Discuss features of one item, then other.
Use signal words: "each", "both", "however."
Special Education:
- Use graphic organizers.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
W. II
S-9

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Organize paragraphs in a variety of forms.
a) Spatially.
b) Chronologically.
c) Compare/contrast.
d) Order of importance.
(Continued.)

3.3

Provide examples to students, i.e., cooked oatmeal & corn flakes, newspapers & television, or garner topics from students or theme topic. Have students write compare/contrast paragraphs in cooperative learning groups.
Special Education:
- Venn diagram, compare/contrast graphic
organizer.

Ask students to develop a list of reasons arguing for or against going on some type of risky adventure. These will be developed into a persuasive paragraph. Have the students discuss whether the reason should be put in ascending or descending order of importance. Number the reasons & work with students on rough draft. Have students peer edit for final draft.
Special Education:
- Use peer edit form, use tape recorder to express if necessary.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

W. I
W. II
S-9

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Recognize grammatical formations.
a) Subjects.
b) Predicates.
c) Direct objects.
d) Compound sentences.
e) Nouns.
f) Adverbs.
g) Possessives.
h) Contractions.

Each theme selection focuses on one area of grammar. As they are encountered they should be defined & examples provided outside & within the story. During either the preview phase or the second reading, students should be called on to identify the grammatical formation.

Utilize writing workshop exercises to reinforce learned grammatical formations. Regardless of the topic, students can be required to include various grammatical components, i.e., develop the paragraph using possessives, compound sentences or underline the subject in each paragraph sentence once & each predicate twice.
Special Education:
- Figure 2.1 graphic organizer.

End of unit tests
Class discussion
Portfolio Assessment
Homework
Class Projects
Practice Book

WRITING/GRAMMAR

The student will be able to:

Refine editing skills.
a) Punctuation.
b) Spelling.
1) Long vowels.
2) Short vowels.
3) Compounds.
c) Correct agreements.
d) Tense.
(Continued.)

Have students listen critically to TV & radio advertisements for emotionally laden words the speaker uses, any facts or evidence cited to back up his/her appeals to listeners & whether the arguments were logical & the conclusions valid. Discuss the results in class.
Special Education:
- Use two column method: 1/3 page - main idea,
2/3 page details (write within 24 hours).
Listen strategy:
Look.
Idle your motor.
Sit up straight.
Turn to person speaking.
Engage you brain (think what you should be
learning & what you already know about
subject.
Now.

W. I
W. II
S-9

LISTENING/SPEAKING/VIEWING

Refine listening skills.

Provide an example of anecdote from the reading. Outline guidelines for anecdotes. What happened? Who was involved? Where, when & why it occurred? Was it funny, exciting, embarrassing? Divide the class into groups. Have each group prepare an anecdote & present it to the class.
Special Education:
- Graphic organizers.

LISTENING/SPEAKING/VIEWING

The student will be able to:

Articulate clearly & concisely.

End of unit tests, Class discussion,
Portfolio Assessment, Homework,
Class Projects, Practice Book

Social Studies: Understand historical issues by debating
ownership of artifacts.
(Th. 2, p. 286.)