Curriculum Instructional Resources for ELLs
SCSD ESL Department
Grade 6 Unit 1: Fiction: Literary Text / Character
Common Core Grade Level Standards
RL 6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of text and how it is conveyed
through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from
personal opinions or judgments.
RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story 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.
RL.6.4 Determine the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative and connotative meaning; analyze the impact of a
specific word choice on meaning and tone.
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.
Curriculum Teaching Points
1.1 Readers develop possible themes by reading a chunk of text and asking, “What is this
starting to be about?” and “What patterns am I noticing?”
1.2 Readers support or verify their thinking around the theme by citing specific, relevant
details in a text
1.5 Readers explain themes by providing a text summary of important relevant details
1.6. Readers determine character traits by examining characters’ words, thoughts, actions, and
choices
1.7 Readers tract changes in characters from the beginning to the end by noting words,
thoughts, actions, and other characters’ responses
1.9 Readers pay attention to the author’s choice of words and phrases by asking themselves,
“Why did the author choose this word
1.12 Readers recognize that stories have different structures by plotting the story elements on a
story mountain.
SCSD Recommended Text
Short stories
 The Scribe by Kristin Hunter
 The Dog of Pompeii by Louis Untermeyer
 All Stories Are Anansi’s by Harold Courlander
 Street Magic by Will Eisner
 Stray by Cynthia Rylant
Poems
 The Courage That My Mother Had by Edna St. Vincent Millay
 My Father Is a Simple Man by Luis Omar Salinas
Novel
 The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis [Lexile
1000; level U]
Picture books
For teaching theme (Read-Aloud/ Think-Aloud Protocol)
 A Chair for My Mother by Vera B Williams
 The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
 Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
* additional scaffolds, supports, resources, and tools can be found in the district
curriculum
Supplemental Texts and Resources for ELLs
Short Stories
 Run Away Home by Patricia C. McKissack,
(Keystone A)
 The Marble Champ by Gary Soto, (Keystone B)
 Sachiko Means Happiness by Kimiko Sakai,
(Bridges to Literature I)
 High as Han Hsin by Arthur Bowie Chrisman,
(Bridges to Literature III)
Poems
 Genius by Nikki Grimes, (Bridges to Literature I)
 My Man Blue by Nikki Grimes, (Bridges to
Literature II)
 I Never Said I Wasn’t Difficult, by Sara Holbrook,
(Bridges to Literature II)
Websites
 Literary Elements
 Literary Elements Organizer
 Setting, Plot, Theme
 Teaching Character Traits
Videos
 Brain Pop Character
 Tone/Mood Video &Lesson
Other: Bilingual dictionaries and
glossaries
Novel
 Stone Fox by John Gardiner
 Loser by Jerry Spinelli
 Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Grade 6 Unit 1
September 2014 Grade 6 page 1
Curriculum Instructional Resources for ELLs
SCSD ESL Department
Grade 6 Unit 2: Non-Fiction - Informational Text Lasting Contributions
Common Core Grade Level Standards
RI.6.2 Determine a central idea of text and how it is conveyed through
particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal
opinions or judgments.
Curriculum Teaching Points
2.1 Readers gather possible clues about the central idea by reading a chunk of text and asking,
“What is this starting to be about?” and “What patterns am I noticing?”
2.3 Readers explain the central idea by providing a text summary of important relevant details.
RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, and
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
RI.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
RI.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter or section fits
into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the
ideas.
2.4 Readers can identify key individuals, events and ideas in a text by relating them to the
central idea.
2.7 Readers know that authors use specific words to develop the central idea by distinguishing
between denotation, connotation, or technical meanings. If there is more than one meaning,
which meaning does the author intend?
2.8 Readers recognize that text have different structures that organize ideas.
RI.6.8 Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing
claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
SCSD Recommended Text
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The Three Queens of Egypt by Vicki Leon in Glencoe
Cleopatra: Egypt’s Last Queen pdf
Egypt: Ancient and Modern pdf
Guide to the Unknown by Dan Risch pdf
Egypt’s Ageless Goddess by Jennifer Pinkowski pdf
2,000-Year-Old Homework! by Joli Allen pdf
The Origin of (Papyrus) Paper In Ancient Egypt pdf
Malala the Powerful by Kristin Lewis pdf
Excerpts from: Let Us Wage A Glorious Struggle pdf
address by Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai Continues Her Fight For Education One Year Later video
One Woman’s Way in Glencoe inTime Magazine html
The Nobel Peace Prize 2003 Acceptance Speech by Shirin Ebadi html
Ryan Hreljac: Can-Do Kid in Glencoe in Time Magazine html html2
Ryan’s Well Foundation html
Hurricane Heroes by Thomas Fields-Meyer, Steve Helling, and Lori Rozsa in
Glencoe (Related text for alternate view: Hero firefighter who saved woman
from burning home faces investigation -because he gave her his air mask
during rescue html)
* additional scaffolds, supports, resources, and tools can be found in the district
curriculum
Supplemental Texts and Resources for ELLs
 Extraordinary People: Serving Others,
(Keystone A)
 Going, Going, Gone?, (Keystone A)
 Kids’ Guernica, (Keystone A)
 A Tree Grows in Kenya: The Story of
Wangari Maathai, (Keystone A)
 Early Explorers, (Keystone B)
 from Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges,
(Keystone B)
 Early Astronomers, (Keystone B)
 I Am Rosa Parks (Bridges to Literature I)
 Mountain Medicine (Bridges to
Literature I)
 Amelia Earhart American Pilot Carlotta
Hacker, (Bridges to Literature II)
 Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Matthew
Grant, (Bridges to Literature III)
 http://newsela.com/ (free subscription)
Websites
 Summarizing
 Text Structure
 Text Structure
 Text Feature/ Text Structure
 Text features
PDFs
 Text Features
 Text Structure Chart
 Text Structure
Video
 Reading Non- Fiction
Others: Bilingual dictionaries and glossaries
September 2014 Grade 6 page 2
Curriculum Instructional Resources for ELLs
SCSD ESL Department
Grade 6 Unit 3: Literary and Informational Text / Exploring Identity
Common Core Grade Level Standards
RL./ RI6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of text and how it is conveyed
through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from
personal opinions or judgments.
RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s drama’s or plot unfolds in a series of
episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves
toward a resolution.
RL./ RL.6.4 Determine the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in
a text, including figurative and connotative meaning; analyze the impact of a
specific word choice on meaning and tone.
RL./ 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.
RL.6.9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms for genres (e.g., stories
and poems; historical novels, fantasy stories in terms of their approaches to
similar themes and topics.
Curriculum Teaching Points
3.2 Readers develop several possible theme statements or central ideas and support/verify their
thinking by citing specific, relevant details in a text.
3.3 Readers explain themes or central ideas by providing a text summary of important relevant
details.
3.4 Readers determine character traits by recording and analyzing characters’ words, thoughts,
actions, and choices.
3.5a Readers track changes in characters by noting how the character reacts to specific events
and changes in response to those events.
3.8 Readers identify when an author uses figurative language in poetry (rhyme, repetition,
simile, metaphor, imagery) by reviewing the images, sounds and symbols in a text.
3.11 Readers recognize that texts have different structures that organize the ideas and how
those ideas contribute to the development of the theme or central idea.
3.14 Readers identify the features of a genre (poetry, short story, biography, news article,
interview) by examining its structure, language and sound.
RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view for the narrator or
speaker in a text.
RI.6.3Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, and
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
RI.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it
is conveyed in the text.
RI.6.9 Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of
another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person.)
September 2014 Grade 6 page 3
SCSD Recommended Text
Short Stories
 Eleven by Sandra Cisneros
 On Turning Ten by Billy Collins
 Understanding Your Emotions
KidsHealth.org
 Excerpt from Sandra Cisneros:
Voices from the Gap
 The White Umbrella by Gish Jen
 Mad by Naomi Shihab Nye in
Glencoe
 Excerpt from Gish Jen: Voices
from the Gap
 Symbolism Dictionary
 Yes, It Was My Grandmother by
Luci Tapahonso
 My Parents by Stephen Spender
 Ta-Na-E-Ka by Mary Whitehead
Bridging the Gap Speech
Novel
 The Lightning Thief by Rick
Riordan
Multimedia
 What makes a hero? video
 The Hero’s Journey video
Curriculum Instructional Resources for ELLs
SCSD ESL Department
Supplemental Texts and Resources for ELLs
Informational Text
 Shrouded In Myth by Jessica
Fisher Neidl
 The Hero’s Journey by
Zachary Hamby
Websites
 MythologyTeacher.com
 Rick Riordan’s website
 Symbolism Dictionary
Poems
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A Creed to Live By
Believe in Yourself
The Challenge
The Verdicts
You Are My Hero
You Can Be Whatever You
Want to Be!
*additional scaffolds, supports,
resources, and tools can be found in the
district curriculum
Short Stories
 from Becoming Naomi León, by Pam
Muñoz Ryan, Keystone A
 Later, Gator by Laurence Yep,
Keystone A
 from The Journal of Wong MingChung, by Laurence Yep Keystone B
 From Childhood by Bill Cosby
Bridges to Literature Lv I
 Victor by James Howe Bridges to
Literature Lv II
Non-fiction
 Ancient Kids Keystone A
 from Zlata’s Diary, by Zlata Filipovic
Keystone A
 Genetic Fingerprints Keystone A
 http://newsela.com/ (free subscription)
Novel
 Home of the Brave Katherine
Applegate
 Second Cousins Virginia Hamilton
 S.O.R. Losers Avi
Websites
 Text Structure
 Text Structure
 Genre Posters
Videos
 Comparing Genres Video
 Brain Pop Simile/Metaphor
Others
 Bilingual dictionaries and glossaries
Poems
 The More The Merrier by Opal
Palmer Adisa, Bridges to Literature
Lv 1
 Karate Kid by Jane Yolen, Bridges to
Literature Lv 1
 Phizzog by Carl Sandburg, Bridges to
Literature Lv 2
 Eastern Eskimo Song Bridges to
Literature Lv 2
 Apprender El Ingles/Learning English
Luis Ambroggio, Bridges to
Literature Lv 2
Grade 6 Unit 3
September 2014 Grade 6 page 4
Curriculum Instructional Resources for ELLs
SCSD ESL Department
Grade 6 Unit 5: Reading and Writing Integrated Research
Common Core Grade Level Standards
RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI. 6.4 Researchers collect important ideas and vocabulary
about a topic.
RI. 6.6 Researchers collect and analyze information from multiple sources in
order to learn about similarities and differences in the POV represented by
different authors.
RI.6.7 Researchers collect and analyze information from multiple sources in
order to learn about a topic.
RI.6.9 Researchers compare and contrast information about a topic.
RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding
of a topic or issue.
W.6.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach.
W.6.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
SCSD Recommended Text
Main Text:
 Dragonwings by Laurence Yep
Supportive Texts for Teaching Multiple
Perspectives In Glencoe:
 The Flying Machine by Ray
Bradbury
 All Summer in a Day by Ray
Bradbury
 Dragon, Dragon by John
Gardner
 The All-American Slurp by
Lensey Namioka
Online Stories and Poems:
 Chinese Myths
 Chinese Mythology
Nonfiction Websites:
 Ancient China1, Ancient
China2, China3
 Daily Life in the T’ang
Dynasty
 The Three Teachings
Symbols:
 Dragons1, Dragons2,
Dragons3
 Symbols1, Symbols2
Immigration:
 Chinese Immigrants
 Chinese Americans
 Becoming An American
Curriculum Teaching Points
5.1 Readers identify, track, and analyze characters’ perspective in historical fiction by creating
a roadmap. They roadmap for theme/central idea, author’s perspective, multiple character
perspectives, repeating patterns, and the interaction of story elements.
5.5 Research writers read some text to get enough ideas and generate thoughts for their research
question by asking: What do I find most interesting about this topic? What do I want to know
more about? What opposing perspectives can be analyzed round this topic?
5.6 Researchers gather information by reading multiple texts (print and digital) on a topic with
their research questions in mind. Then they begin to focus their research questions into one that
is relatively specific and manageable.
5.11 Research writers organize chunks of information by using boxes and bullets.
5.13 Researchers keep careful track of their sources by keeping a running bibliography of the
author, title and page number(s) or the URL of a digital source on index cards or in a notebook.
5.21 Writers create product drafts by using the organizers and plans they have created.
5.23 Writers edit final product with their partner by asking:
Does the text give enough information to answer my research question? Does the illustration
match the text on the page? Have I met all of the requirements from the rubric?
Supplemental Texts and Resources for ELLs
Short Stories
 from The Journal of Wong MingChung, by Laurence Yep, Keystone B
 The Dragon’s Pearl retold by Julie
Lawson, Bridges to Literature 2
 High as Han Hsin by Arthur Bowie
Chrisman, Bridges to Literature 3
 Fa Mulan, by Robert D. San Souci,
Bridges to Literature 3
Videos
 Brain Pop Character
 Tone/Mood Video &Lesson
Others
 Bilingual dictionaries and
glossaries
Drama
 The Jade Stone, by Caryn Yacowitz,
Bridges to Literature Lv 3
September 2014 Grade 6 page 5
Curriculum Instructional Resources for ELLs
SCSD ESL Department
Picture Books:
 American Born Chinese by Gene
Yang
 Hannah Is My Name by Belle
Yang
 Maples in the Mist by Minfong
Ho
Videos:
 Chinese Immigrants
Angel Island
 Angel Island Li Keng
Wong's Story
 Angel Island Conservancy
 Traveling to and arriving at
Angel Island
San Francisco Earthquake 1906
 Eyewitness Accounts
 Comprehensive Site from
the Virtual Museum of the
City of San Francisco
*Additional scaffolds, supports,
resources, and tools can be found in
the district curriculum
Grade 6, Unit 5
September 2014 Grade 6 page 6