Illinois 6th Grade ELA Standards

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RI.6 Reading: Informational Text

• Key Ideas and Details
  • RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
    • RST.6.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
    • RH.6.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
  • RI.6.2 Determine a 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.
    • RST.6.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
    • RH.6.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
  • RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
    • RST.6.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
    • RH.6.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
• Craft and Structure
  • 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.
    • RST.6.5 Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
    • RH.6.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
  • RI.6.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
  • 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.
    • RST.6.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
    • RH.6.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
  • 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.
    • RST.6.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
    • RH.6.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a 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).
    • RST.6.9 Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
    • RH.6.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

RL.6 Reading: Literature

• Key Ideas and Details
  • RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
  • 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.6.9 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.

V.6 Vocabulary Interpretation and Use

• 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.
• RI.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
  • RST.6.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.
  • RH.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
• L.6.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  • L.6.4.a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • L.6.4.b Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
  • L.6.4.c Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
  • L.6.4.d Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
• L.6.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  • L.6.5.a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
  • L.6.5.b Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words.
  • L.6.5.c Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
• L.6.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

W.6 Written Expression and Conventions and Knowledge of Language

• Text Types and Purposes
  • W.6.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
    • W.6.1.a Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
    • W.6.1.b Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
    • W.6.1.c Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
    • W.6.1.d Establish and maintain a formal style.
    • W.6.1.e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
  • W.6.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
    • W.6.2.a Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
    • W.6.2.b Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
    • W.6.2.c Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
    • W.6.2.d Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
    • W.6.2.e Establish and maintain a formal style.
    • W.6.2.f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.
  • W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
    • W.6.3.a Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
    • W.6.3.b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
    • W.6.3.c Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
    • W.6.3.d Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events.
    • W.6.3.e Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
• Production and Distribution of Writing
  • W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • 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; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
• Research to Build and Present Knowledge
  • W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
  • W.6.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.
  • W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
    • W.6.9.a Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “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”).
    • W.6.9.b Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “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”).
• Range of Writing
  • W.6.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.