Unit Plan 1 (Grade 6 ELA): Launching Our Reading–Writing Community
Grade 6 ELA launch unit: students build reading stamina, practice close reading and discussion norms, and learn writer’s workshop routines. Through reading, talking, and writing daily, they strengthen comprehension, clarity, and academic language skills for middle school success.
Focus: Routines, stamina, close reading norms, writer’s workshop expectations
Grade Level: 6
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Literature; Writing; Speaking & Listening; Language)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Welcome to middle school ELA! This launch week establishes the habits that power the year: reading stamina, close reading routines (annotating with purpose), discussion norms for academic talk, and writer’s workshop expectations (planning, drafting, conferring, revising). By Friday, students will read grade-level texts with growing independence, participate in collaborative discussions, and produce a short, well-organized written piece that follows community conventions.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Sustain independent reading of grade-appropriate literature and reflect on comprehension and choices (RL.6.10).
- Produce writing that is clear and coherent, appropriate to task, purpose, and audience (W.6.4).
- Engage effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly using agreed-upon norms (SL.6.1).
- Apply conventions of standard English grammar and usage during speaking and writing; use a shared conventions checklist (L.6.1).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 6
- Reading Literature 6.10 (RL.6.10): By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature (stories, dramas, poems) in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
- Writing 6.4 (W.6.4): Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- Speaking & Listening 6.1 (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 and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
- Language 6.1 (L.6.1): Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Success Criteria — student language
- I can read a grade-level text for 10–20 minutes with focus and capture my thinking.
- I can annotate purposefully (gist, key ideas, questions, author moves).
- I can follow discussion norms, cite lines, and respond to peers.
- I can write a well-organized paragraph with a clear focus and correct core conventions.