Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Essential Question
How is literature a vehicle for helping us to understand ourselves, our life experiences, and the world around us?
Content/Academic Vocabulary
Alliteration
Characterization
Culture
Exaggeration
Foreshadowing
Idiom
Irony
Parody
Prequel
Setting
Symbolism
Antagonist
Characters
Epilogue
Fiction/Nonfiction
Graphic Novels
Imagery
Metaphor
Personification
Protagonist
Simile
Theme
Author’s Purpose
Climax
Events
First/Third Person
Heritage
Infer
Onomatopoeia
Plot
Realism
Stereotypes
Tone
Cause/Effect
Conflict
Evidence
Flashback
Hyperbole
Inference
Oral Tradition
Point of View
Resolution
Traditional Literature
Focus Questions
How is my understanding of a text deepened by my conversation with others?
How does the author’s viewpoint impact the text and the reader?
What personal connections can I make to literary characters and their experiences?
How does reading, reflecting, and discussing what I read help me understand who I am?
How does my understanding of literary elements increase my enjoyment of literature?
In what way do graphic novels function differently as realistic fiction/fantasy?
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Student Outcomes
Think about what you want the student to know and be able to do.
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Apply grade 6 reading standards to literature. (e.g., “Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or
drama drawing on specific details in the text.”).
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Comprehend texts in guided and independent reading with increasing text complexity (e.g., identify: cause/effect,
compare/contrast, drawing conclusions, and making inferences).
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Prepare for class discussions by taking notes on specific elements of texts read.
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Demonstrate understanding of texts by interpreting significant scenes for classmates.
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Explore the similarities and differences in authors’ characterization techniques.
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Define related words and identify their parts of speech (e.g., courage, courageous, courageousness).
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Distinguish between explicit clues and inferences drawn from the text.
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Compare the experience of reading a text to viewing it in some multi-media format.
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Identify the theme or themes in a text and describe how the author develops them.
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Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres in terms of similar themes.
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Acquire and use accurately grade appropriate vocabulary important to comprehension or expression.
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Analyze how the structure of a text contributes to the development of theme, setting, and plot.
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Determine an author’s purpose and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
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Write constructed responses to critical thinking questions, citing evidence from the text.
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Respond to independent reading through journal writing in a Response Journal that is assessed weekly.
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
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Present findings learned from various texts in the form of oral presentations.
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Interpret literary terms and explain how they improve the author’s writing.
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Write a prequel for a story of your choice that reflects appreciation for your selected work.
ELA Focus Standards:
Key Ideas and Details
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well
as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
Craft and Structure
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall
structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to
or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading
the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
(RL.6.8 not applicable to literature)
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.9 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.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Comprehension and Collaboration
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on
ideas under discussion.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1b Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and
define individual roles as needed.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1c Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making
comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1d Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple
perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.3 Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are
supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.4 Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent
descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume,
and clear pronunciation.
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual
displays in presentations to clarify information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal
English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
Suggested Works: Fiction/Realistic Fiction Grade 6 (Instructional Levels 3-6+)
(CC)-Common Core/Highly Recommended
97 Ways to Train A Dragon, Kate McMullan
A Boy Called Slow, Joseph Bruchac (CC)
A Long Way From Chicago, Richard Peck (CC)
A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck (CC)
Absolutely Normal Chaos, Sharon Creech (CC)
Acting Out, Justin Chander (CC)
Adam Canfield of the Slash, Michael Winerip (CC)
Afternoon of the Elves, Janet Taylor Lisle
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (Graphic Novel) (CC)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (CC)
Aliens Ate My Homework, Bruce Coville (CC)
Anything But Typical, Nora Raleigh Baskin (CC)
Baseball Fever, Johanna Hurwitz (CC)
Battle for the Castle, Elizabeth Winthrope (CC)
Because of Winn-Dixie, Kate DiCamillo (CC)
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (CC)
Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis (CC)
Calendar Mysteries-May Magic, Ron Roy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ronald Roald (CC)
Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliett (CC)
Comeback Kids, Mike Lupica
Crazy Lady, Jane Leslie Conly
Dead Man in Indian Creek, Mary Downing Hahn (CC)
Doing Time Online, Jan Siebold
Dovey Coe, Frances O’Roark Dowell (CC)
Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I’m on My Way, Mom, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Esperanza Rising, Pam Munoz Ryan (CC)
Everything on a Waffle, Polly Horvath (CC)
Firegirl, Tony Abbott
Flying Solo, Ralph Fletcher (CC)
Football Nightmare, Matt Christopher
Frindle, Andrew Clements (CC)
Fudge-A-Mania, Judy Blume
Ghost Buddy-Zero to Hero, Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Green Glass Sea, Ellen Klages (CC)
Hank Zipzer: Day of Iguana, Henry Winkler
Hatchet, Gary Paulsen (CC)
Holes, Louis Sachar (CC)
How to Handle a Bully, Nancy Wilcox Richards
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, Betty Lord (CC)
Inkheart, Cornelia Funke (CC)
Inkspell, Cornelia Funke (CC)
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O’Dell (CC)
James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (CC)
Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher, Bruce Coville (CC)
Joey Pigza Loses Control, Jack Gantos
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Jack Gantos (CC)
Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead George (CC)
Lawn Boy, Gary Paulsen
Liar, Liar, Gary Paulsen
Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder (CC)
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, Gary D. Schmidt (CC)
Loser, Jerry Spinelli
Lunch Money, Andrew Clements (CC)
M.C. Higgins, the Great, Virginia Hamliton (CC)
Manic Magee, Jerry Spinelli (CC)
Mick Harte Was Here, Barbara Park
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf, Jennifer L. Holm
Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry (CC)
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Monster, Walter Dean Myers (screenplay format) (CC)
Moon Runner, Carolyn Marsden (CC)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert O’Brien (CC)
Music of the Dolphins, Karen Hesse
My Louisiana Sky, Kimberly Willis Holt
My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George (CC)
Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Neil Armstrong is My Uncle, Nan Marino (CC)
No More Dead Dogs, Gordon Korman (CC)
No Talking, Andrew Clements (CC)
Nothing But the Truth, Avi (CC)
Number the Stars, Lowis Lowry (CC)
On My Honor, Marion Dane Bauer (CC)
Peter and the Star Catchers, Dave Barry (CC)
Pictures of Hollis Woods, Patricia Reilly Giff (CC)
Pinballs, Betsy Byars
Ragweed, Avi (CC)
Rapunzel’s Revenge, Shannon Hale (graphic novel) (CC)
Regarding the Fountain, Kate Klise (CC)
Replay, Sharon Creech (CC)
Room One, Andrew Clements (CC)
Rules, Cynthia Lord (CC)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, Eleanor Coerr (CC)
Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief, Wendelin Van Draanen (CC)
Savvy, Ingrid Law (CC)
Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett (CC)
Shakespeare’s Secret, Elise Broach
Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (CC)
Sign of the Beaver, Elizabeth George Speare (CC)
Smile, Raina Telgemeier (graphic novel) (CC)
Sounder, William H. Armstrong (CC)
Stand Tall, Joan Bauer
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Stickman Odyssey, Christopher Ford (graphic novel) (CC)
Surviving the Applewhites, Stephanie Tolan (CC)
Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo (CC)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Judy Blume (CC)
Tangerine, Edward Bloor (CC)
The Batboy, Mike Lupica
The Black Stallion, Walter Farley (CC)
The Book of Elsewhere: Shadows, Jacqueline West
The Book Without Words, AVI
The Borrowers, Mary Norton (CC)
The Boy Who Saved Baseball, John R. Ritter
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson (CC)
The Green Glass Sea, Ellen Klages (CC)
The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron (CC)
The Indian and the Cupboard, Lynne Banks (CC)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick (CC)
The Jacket, Andrew Clements
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis (CC)
The Little Prince, Antoine DeSaint-Exupery (CC)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo (CC)
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Stewart (CC)
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen, Eric Berlin (CC)
The Report Card, Andrew Clements (CC)
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Tom Angleberger
The Thing About Georgie, Lisa Graff
The Underneath, Kathi Appelt (CC)
The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg (CC)
The War With Grandpa, Robert Kimmel Smith
The Witches of Worm, Zilpha Snyder (CC)
The World According to Humphrey, Betty Birney
Then Again Maybe I Won’t, Judy Blume (CC)
Time Warp Trio: The Knights of the Kitchen Table, Jon Scieszka
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Touching Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen
Travel Team, Mike Lupica (CC)
Trouble-Maker, Andrew Clements
Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt (CC)
Turtle in Paradise, Jennifer L. Holm
Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech (CC)
Weasel, Cynthia Defleice
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (CC)
White Fang, Jack London (CC)
Wonder, RJ Palacio (CC)
Wringer, Jerry Spinelli (CC)
Yolanda’s Genius, Carol Fenner (CC)
Possible Assessments:
Formal AssessmentsMAP w/ Descartes
Special Ed Probes
PSSA
DRA
Summative AssessmentsDiscussion/Group Participation
Self/Teacher Assessment Guided Reading Participation
Weekly Response Journals tied to Independent Reading
Focus Skills
End of Book Tests
Q-Matrix
Constructed Reponses
Story Elements
Charting Organizational Constructs
Vocabulary (Shared/Guided Reading)
Words Their Way Assessments
Making Meaning Assessments
Literature Studies
Grade 6
Focus Genre: Fiction/Literature
Writing Pieces using Common Core Writing Standards
Oral/Slate Assessment
Teacher Created Rubric (Rubistar)
Culminating Book Projects