Unit of Study
Subject
Grade/Course
Unit of Study
Unit Type (s)
Unit Length
English Language Arts
6th Grade
Making Choices…I Have a Voice
Topical
Skills-based
X Thematic
March 31st- May 23rd *Spring Break (April 21-26)* *PASS Exams (May 6-8)*
Overarching Standards of the Common Core
Reading Standards for Literature
RL-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.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
RI-10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Writing Standards
W-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.
Speaking and Listening Standards
SL-6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or
appropriate.
Language Standards
L-6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gatqher
vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Priority and Supporting Common Core State Standards
Priority Standards
Reading
RL6.2: 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.
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.
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.
RI.6.3: Analyze in detail
how a key individual,
Writing
W.6.1: Write arguments to
support claims with clear
reasons and relevant
evidence.
W.6.1a: Introduce claim(s)
and organize the reasons
and evidence clearly.
W.6.1b: Support claim(s)
with clear reasons and
relevant evidence, using
credible sources and
demonstrating an
understanding of the topic
or text.
W.6.1e: 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,
Speaking and Listening
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.
Language
L.6.4: Determine or clarify the
meaning of unknown and multiplemeaning words and phrases based
on grade 6 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
L.6.5: Demonstrate understanding
of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.
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.
event, or idea is
organization, and analysis
introduced, illustrated, and of relevant content.
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.
Reading
RL6.5: 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.
RI6.7: 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.
RI.6.9: Compare and
contrast one author’s
Supporting Standards
Writing
Speaking and Listening
W.6.6: Use technology,
including the Internet, to
produce, publish, and
update
individual or shared
writing products, taking
advantage of technology’s
capacity to link to other
information and to display
information flexibly and
dynamically.
W.6.7: Conduct short as
well as more sustained
research projects to
answer a question
(including a self-generated
question) or solve a
problem; narrow or
Language
presentation of events
with that of another (e.g.,
a memoir written by and a
biography on the same
person).
broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize
multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating
understanding of the
subject under
investigation.
W.6.8: Gather relevant
information from multiple
authoritative print and
digital
sources, using advanced
searches effectively;
assess the usefulness of
each
source in answering the
research question;
integrate information into
the text selectively to
maintain the flow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and
following a
standard format for
citation.
W.6.9: Draw evidence
from literary or
informational texts to
support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Concepts (What students need to
Skills (What students need to be
Blooms/DOK Levels
know)
able to do)
RL.6.2: central idea, summary
RL6.3: plot, resolution, character types
RI.6.2: central idea, summary
RI.6.3: plot, resolution, character types
RI.6.6: point of view and purpose
W.6.1: arguments, claims, evidence
W.6.1a: organize reasons and
evidence clearly
W.6.1b: claims, relevant evidence,
credible resources
W.6.1e: concluding statements
W.6.2: write, examine, analyze, voice,
relevant, organize
SL.6.2: interpret, explain
L.6.4: determine or clarify (unknown
multiple meaning words or phrases)
L.6.5: figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word
meanings
L.6.6: domain-specific words and
phrases,
RL.6.2: summarize text, determine
RL6.3: describe
RI.6.2: summarize text, determine
RI.6.3: describe plot, resolution,
character types
RI.6.6: determine, explain
W.6.1:, write, support, clarify
W.6.1a: introduce, organize
W.6.1b: support with evidence
W.6.1e: concluding statement
W.6.2: write an informative essay, use
evidence, organize writing
SL.6.2: interpret, explain
L.6.4: determine or clarify the meaning
of unknown and multiple meanings
words and phrases based on content.
L.6.5: demonstrate understanding of
figurative language
L.6.6: use, gather (vocabulary
knowledge)
Essential Questions
Corresponding Big Ideas
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Who is responsible for your future?
How do the decisions you make today shape your future?
How do your interactions with other people shape your life
and theirs?
What strategies do people use to make informed decisions?
RL.6.2: 2
RL6.3: 1
RI.6.2: 2
RI.6.3: 1
RI.6.6: 3
W.6.1: 3/4
W.6.1a: 2
W.6.1b: 3
W.6.1e: 1/2
W.6.2: 2
SL.6.2: 2/3
L.6.4: 2/4
L.6.5: 1/2
L.6.6: 1/2
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The choices you make today will impact your life and
sometimes the lives of others.
Making wise choices requires a thoughtful process.
Critical thinking is essential for making informed decisions.
Problem solving, drawing conclusions and critical thinking are
essential for making informed decisions and generating
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What kinds of decisions do sixth grade students have to make?
How do we know whether a good decision has been made?
What impact do our choices have?
What are we willing to give up in order to gain what we think
we need?
How do we solve problems?
What impact do our choices have?
Academic Vocabulary/Key Terms
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Choice
Alternative
Option
Preference
Dilemma
Claims
Compromise
Conflict
Decision
Evaluate
Conscience
Argument
Concrete argument
Plan
Resources
Tentative
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original ideas.
Learning about ourselves and others allows us to make
informed decisions in a global society.
Suggested Works
 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Textbook (possible adoption for next year).
Literary Texts
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Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel by Avi
Holes by Louis Sachar
Taking Sides by Gary Soto
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Picture Books:
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Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Golem by David Wisniewski
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Consequences
Fact/Opinion
Audience
Evidence
Responsible
Accountable
Risk
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The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Poetry:
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“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost (a review from Unit 3)
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
“Choices” by Nikki Giovanni
“This is Just To Say” by William Carlos Williams
“The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop
“Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou
Nonfiction available Free Online:
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"Bystander Psychology: Why Some Witnesses to Crime Do Nothing" by Maia Szalavitz
http://kellygallagher.org/resources/AoW%2012%20Witness%20Psychology.pdf
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Do stunt videos make teens take dangerous risk?
http://choices.scholastic.com/issues/09_01_12/book#/20
A Fast Food Survival Kit http://choices.scholastic.com/issues/11_01_12/book#/4
Is Reality TV Messing With Your Head?
http://choices.scholastic.com/issues/11_01_12/book#/12
Bullies Behind Bars http://choices.scholastic.com/issues/10_01_12/book#/12
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Assessment for Learning: How do you know the student has mastered the standards?
Pre-Assessment
Independent Book Study:
Throughout this unit students could read an independent novel on
their lexile level involving “Making Choices.” Teachers could
collaborate with the media specialist to obtain novels that are
available to check out or students can purchase a novel from a
bookstore. Throughout their independent novel study students should
carefully analyze characters and choices the characters made
throughout the novel.
Poetry:
To further understand the theme of making choices and dealing with
dilemmas, students can engage in reading poetry. There are several
poems suggested. The teacher may want to choose a poem to closely
read as a class and model annotation, identifying elements of poetry,
and analysis. Make these poems available for students and have them
closely read, annotate, and analyze the poems in small groups or pairs.
Some possible questions to ask students as they are analyzing the
poem are the following: How does the figurative language contribute
to the tone of the poem? How does the meaning of the ____ stanza
contribute to the development of the theme of making choices? How
does the poet’s word choice contribute to the overall structure of the
poem? What can be inferred about the life of the speaker of the
poem?
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“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
Informal Progress Monitoring Checks (Dipsticks)
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“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
“Choices” by Nikki Giovanni
“This is Just To Say” by William Carlos Williams
“The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop
“Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” by Maya Angelou
Compare “The Road Not Taken” to a quotation from Alice in
Wonderland and connect them to the unit theme: “Alice came
to a fork in the road. 'Which road do I take?' she asked. 'Where
do you want to go?' responded the Cheshire Cat. 'I don't know,'
Alice answered. 'Then,' said the Cat, 'it doesn't matter.” ―
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Possible Novel Excerpts to read:
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis Chapter 2,: Bud gets into a
fight with a foster brother and is kicked out.
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis Chapter 6: Mother wants to make
Parvana look like a boy in order to go out in public with little attention
from the Taliban of Afghanistan. Ultimately, it becomes Parvana’s
decision
While reading novel excerpts guide students to analyze characters and
choices from the novels from novel excerpts. The following website
could be a useful resource for analyzing characters and actions
http://teacher.depaul.edu/files/documents/ICanIdentifyInferMotive.pdf
Guiding Questions for Book Reflections and
Discussions:
1
How did you experience the book? Were you
immediately drawn into the story--or did it
take you a while? Did the book intrigue,
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3
4
5
6
7
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10
amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten
you?
Do you find the characters convincing? Are
they believable? Compelling? Are they fully
developed as complex, emotional human
beings--or are they one-dimensional?
Which characters do you particularly admire
or dislike? What are their primary
characteristics?
What motivates a given character’s actions?
Do you think those actions are justified or
ethical?
Do any characters grow or change during the
course of the novel? If so, in what way?
Who in this book would you most like to
meet? What would you ask—or say?
If you could insert yourself as a character in
the book, what role would you play? You
might be a new character or take the place
of an existing one.
Is the plot well-developed? Is it believable?
Do you feel manipulated along the way, or
do plot events unfold naturally, organically?
Is the story plot or character driven? In other
words, do events unfold quickly? Or is more
time spent developing characters' inner
lives? Does it make a difference to your
enjoyment?
Consider the ending. Did you expect it or
were you surprised? Was it manipulative?
Was it forced? Was it neatly wrapped up-too neatly? Or was the story unresolved,
ending on an ambiguous note?
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If you could rewrite the ending, would you?
In other words, did you find the ending
satisfying? Why or why not.
Can you pick out a passage that strikes you
as particularly profound or interesting--or
perhaps something that sums up the central
dilemma of the book?
Does the book remind you of your own life?
An event or situation? A person--a friend,
family member, boss, co-worker?
If you were to talk with the author, what
would you want to know? (Many authors
enjoy talking with book clubs. Contact the
publisher to see if you can set up a phone
chat.)
Have you read the author’s other books?
Can you discern a similarity—in theme,
writing style, structure—between them? Or
are they completely different?
Reader Response Journal Prompts:
1.
2.
After reading, I wonder…
Are the characters realistic (do they seem like they could be real
people)? Why or why not?
3.
Describe a character that you would like to meet (which doesn’t
mean that you think you would like the character, but that you think
the character would be interesting). List 4 questions that you would
ask.
4.
Describe the major conflict. What side are you on?
5.
Setting: What effect does the setting (time, place, social and
historical background) have on the character’s thoughts, actions, and
choices? What would be your reaction to having to adapt to the
character’s environment? Why?
6.
Describe the setting’s time and place. Create a new setting that you
think would be better for the story and describe it.
7.
Describe what was either believable or unbelievable about your
reading. Defend your opinion.
8.
Theme: Explain an idea or theme –either stated outright or implied
by events—which is meaningful to you. Explain its importance to the
text and why you find it meaningful.
9.
Character Comparison #1: Compare yourself to a main character.
Point out your similarities and try to account for differences between
you and him/her. Considering what you have discovered, what is
your reaction to this character? Why? How do you think the
character would feel about you?
10. Character Comparison #2: Compare a character from your text to a
character from another work of fiction (novel, play, film, short story).
What are their similarities? What are their differences? Which
character do you admire more? Why?
11. Judgment: Examine a character’s actions, values, behavior, etc. with
which you disagree. What is happening? Why is the character
thinking/acting this way? What do you see wrong with it? Why?
What would you suggest as a preferable response/behavior/value?
12. What incident or conflict does the author use to begin the story?
Why do you think the author chose this beginning?
13. If you could change the ending of the book, what would you do?
Why?
14. Did any characters change during the course of the book? How did
they change? What forces caused this change?
15. What other important characters are there in the book besides the
main character(s)? How are they important to the plot?
16. If you could introduce a character from your book to your family,
who would it be? Why?
17. Which character would you be ashamed to introduce to your family?
Why?
18. Do you think the author is asking you to judge one of the characters?
Why?
19. What are some of the dilemma’s that a character or characters in
your book face?
20. What choice did a character have to make in the novel?
21. How did the choice a character made impact them?
22. What impact do the main characters choices have upon others?
23. Do you agree with the character’s choice? Why or Why not (Be sure
to cite evidence from the text to support your opinion)
24. Does the character grow over the course of the novel, or was he/she
always courageous?
25. What does the protagonist learn about him-/herself throughout the
novel based on his or her choices?
26. Did the main character interactions with other people shape their life
and their choices in anyway? Why or Why not?
27. What strategies did the main character use to make an informed
decision in this novel?
Double Entry Journals:
Students will divide their pages into two with a
vertical line down the center. On the left side, they
will copy down short quotes from the original text
that they find interesting in some way. In the right
column, they will write their personal responses to
the quotes on the left.
Environmental Poetry for Earth Day:
Environmental Poetry To provide a multi-genre experience around
environmental issues, below are several resources for accessing
poetry. Poetry is one venue for making a choice on an issue and being
heard. Make many of these poems available for students and have
them closely read, annotate, and analyze the poems in small groups or
pairs.
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Environmental Poetry for Earth Day 2010
http://www.shmoop.com/news/2010/04/22/environmentstudy-earth-day/
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God’s Grandeur, by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Ode to a Nightingale, by John Keats
Pied Beauty, by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Spring, by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Spring and All, by William Carlos Williams
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by
Robert Frost
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, by
Wallace Stevens
This Lime Tree Bower My Prison, by Samuel
Taylor Coleridge
Tintern Abbey, by William Wordsworth
To Autumn, by John Keats
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, by
Walt Whitman
The World is Too Much with Us, by William
Wordsworth
*Refer to Durham Unit 6 Plan*
Post-Assessment
Performance Task:
Engaging Learning Experiences
Learning Activities
Research- Based Effective Teaching Strategies
Check all those that apply to the unit:
 Identifying Similarities and Differences
Authentic Performance Tasks
21st Century Learning Skills
Check all those that apply to the unit:
 Teamwork and Collaboration
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Summarizing and Note Taking
Reinforcing Effort, Providing Recognition
Homework and Practice
Nonlinguistic Representations
Cooperative learning
Setting Objectives, Providing Feedback
Generating and Testing Hypothesse
Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers
Interdisciplinary Non-Fiction Writing
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Initiative and Leadership
Curiosity and Imagination
Innovation and Creativity
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Flexibility and Adaptability
Effective Oral and Written Communication
Accessing and Analyzing Information
Other