Unit Plan 1 (Grade 6 ELA): Launching Our Reading–Writing Community

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…

1. Sustain independent reading of grade-appropriate literature and reflect on comprehension and choices (RL.6.10).
2. Produce writing that is clear and coherent, appropriate to task, purpose, and audience (W.6.4).
3. Engage effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly using agreed-upon norms (SL.6.1).
4. 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.

III. Materials and Resources

Texts — teacher acquires/curates

• One short literary text for whole-class reading (short story excerpt or narrative nonfiction, 800–1200 words).
• A brief poem or micro-passage for close-reading practice.
• A grade-appropriate independent reading choice set (class library or digital).

Tools & Displays

• Anchor charts: “Close Reading Moves (number the paragraphs • circle key words • margin notes: ? ! 🌟 • paraphrase tough lines),” “Discussion Norms (listen • cite • build • challenge respectfully),” “Workshop Flow (mini-lesson → write → confer → revise),” “Conventions Core (subjects/verbs agree • pronoun case/clear reference • complete sentences).”
• Student tools: Bookmark annotation key, Reading Log & Stamina Tracker, Quick-Write planning card, Peer Talk Stem Card (“I’d like to add…,” “Can you show me where…?”).
• Sticky notes, highlighters, notebooks or writer’s folders.

Preparation — before Session 1

1. Mark a few stopping points in the whole-class text for think-alouds.
2. Prepare Reading Log pages and annotation key bookmarks.
3. Set discussion groups and a simple participation tracker.

IV. Lesson Procedure

Each session follows: Mini-Lesson → Guided Practice → Independent Work/Conferences → Share → Exit Ticket

Session 1: Our ELA Community—Routines & Stamina (RL.6.10, SL.6.1)

• Mini-Lesson (10–12 min): Introduce class goals and reading stamina (how to choose “just-right” texts; what stamina looks like). Model the Reading Log.
• Guided (10 min): Begin the whole-class text. Teacher think-aloud: model annotating for gist and confusion.
• Independent (15–20 min): Silent reading (initial stamina target: 10–12 minutes). Students note one question and one insight in the margin.
• Share (5–7 min): Quick pair-share using Talk Stems; each cites one line they found important.
• Exit Ticket: “One strategy that helped my focus today was ___ because ___.”

Session 2: Close Reading Norms—Annotating with a Purpose (RL.6.10)

• Mini-Lesson (10–12 min): Teach Close Reading Moves explicitly (question, notice, paraphrase, infer). Use a short poem or micro-passage to model two passes: Pass 1 (gist), Pass 2 (author moves/word choice).
• Guided (10 min): In triads, students annotate the next paragraph of the whole-class text with assigned roles (Gist Getter, Word Watcher, Connector).
• Independent (15–20 min): Students finish the passage; add two purposeful annotations (one question, one author move).
• Share (5–7 min): Whole-group harvest of the three strongest annotations and why they mattered.
• Exit Ticket: Copy one confusing line and paraphrase it in your own words.

Session 3: Discussion Moves—Listen, Cite, Build (SL.6.1; L.6.1 connection)

• Mini-Lesson (8–10 min): Model a 3-turn discussion using Talk Stems and evidence (“In paragraph 5, the narrator says…”). Quick conventions tip: complete sentences and pronoun clarity when speaking.
• Guided (10 min): Fishbowl: a small group discusses a prompt (“What does the narrator learn by the end of the passage?”). Class tracks norms: listens • cites • builds.
• Independent (15–20 min): Small-group discussions with roles (Facilitator, Evidence Finder, Clarifier, Recorder). Teacher confers and gives one glow/one grow per group.
• Share (5–7 min): Groups report one insight + line reference.
• Exit Ticket: Self-rate SL.6.1 on a 1–3 scale and name one talk move to try next time.

Session 4: Writer’s Workshop—Clear, Coherent Quick-Write (W.6.4; L.6.1)

• Mini-Lesson (10–12 min): Introduce Quick-Write structure (focus statement → 2–3 supporting sentences with a line reference → closing sentence). Conventions tip: subject–verb agreement and pronoun–antecedent clarity in each sentence.
• Guided (10 min): Co-write a model quick-write from the class text (teacher solicits a focus statement; students help add a cited detail and close).
• Independent (15–20 min): Students draft their own 6–8 sentence quick-write responding to a prompt (e.g., “How does the setting pressure the character’s decision?”).
• Share (5–7 min): Peer swap using a W.6.4 checklist: clarity of focus, logical order, sentence completeness, accurate citation phrase.
• Exit Ticket: Revise one sentence for clarity (circle the change).

Session 5: Put It Together—Read • Talk • Write (RL.6.10, SL.6.1, W.6.4, L.6.1)

• Reading Task (8–10 min): Independent read of a short new passage (grade-level).
• Discussion Task (8–10 min): In groups, discuss one question; each student must cite a line.
• Writing Task (15–18 min): Produce a polished quick-write (focus → evidence with citation → closing) and apply a Conventions Core mini-edit.
• Share (5–7 min): 2–3 volunteers read; peers snap for clear focus and evidence.
• Exit Ticket: Set a personal goal for reading or writing next week (e.g., “hit 15 minutes stamina,” “name the author move before I explain it”).

V. Differentiation and Accommodations

Advanced Learners

• Add a second lens to annotations (track a symbol or tone shift).
• In quick-writes, integrate a counterpoint sentence (“Some might argue… however…”).
• Lead a mini-discussion, preparing two text-dependent questions.

Targeted Support

• Provide sentence frames for discussion and writing (“In paragraph __, ___; this shows ___ because ___.”).
• Offer an annotation menu with icons and two required moves per reading.
• Use chunked texts with bolded subheads; pair-reading for tough sections.

Multilingual Learners

• Bilingual mini-glossary: gist, annotate, cite, discussion norms, focus statement with icons.
• Allow bilingual annotations; final share-outs in English with stems.
• Choral reading to hear phrasing; teacher models pronoun clarity.

IEP/504 & Accessibility

• Provide audio of texts; large-print copies; color-coded annotation key.
• Option to record a spoken quick-write before writing; speech-to-text supports.
• Shorter passage or reduced quick-write length (4–5 sentences) if all elements are present.

VI. Assessment and Evaluation

Formative Assessment — Daily

• Session 1: Reading Log & Stamina Tracker (RL.6.10).
• Session 2: Annotated passage (two purposeful marks minimum) (RL.6.10).
• Session 3: Discussion tracker (cite/build/clarify) (SL.6.1).
• Session 4: Quick-write draft + W.6.4 checklist (W.6.4; L.6.1).

Summative Assessment — End of Week; 0–2 per criterion, total 10

1. Independent Reading Readiness (RL.6.10)
   • 2: Sustains focus; notes show comprehension.
   • 1: Mostly focused; notes partial.
   • 0: Off task; minimal comprehension evidence.
2. Annotation Quality (RL.6.10)
   • 2: Purposeful marks (gist/question/author move) improve understanding.
   • 1: Some purposeful marks; limited depth.
   • 0: Random or missing.
3. Discussion Practices (SL.6.1)
   • 2: Cites text, builds on peers, follows norms.
   • 1: Participates; limited citing/building.
   • 0: Minimal engagement.
4. Writing Clarity & Organization (W.6.4)
   • 2: Clear focus; relevant evidence; logical order.
   • 1: Generally clear; minor drift.
   • 0: Unclear focus; disorganized.
5. Conventions (L.6.1)
   • 2: Grammar/usage support meaning; complete sentences.
   • 1: Minor errors; meaning intact.
   • 0: Frequent errors impede meaning.

Feedback Protocol

• Two strengths (e.g., “Your paraphrase clarified a tough line”) and one next step (e.g., “Add an evidence tag before your quote”).
• Micro-goals: increase stamina by 3 minutes, add one author-move annotation, and revise one sentence for subject–verb agreement.

VII. Reflection and Extension

Reflection Prompts

• “Which annotation move helped you most—and where will you use it again?”
• “How did talk stems change your discussion?”
• “What’s one thing you’ll do to make your next quick-write clearer?”

Extensions

• Reader’s Contract: Set a quarter goal (minutes/day, genres to sample).
• Craft Notebook: Collect favorite author moves from independent reading with page refs.
• Family Connection: Share the Close Reading Moves bookmark at home and teach someone how to annotate a paragraph.

Standards Trace — When Each Standard Is Taught/Assessed

• RL.6.10 taught Sessions 1–2; assessed Session 5 criterion 1–2.
• SL.6.1 taught Session 3; assessed Session 5 criterion 3.
• W.6.4 taught Session 4; assessed Session 5 criterion 4.
• L.6.1 reinforced Sessions 3–5; assessed Session 5 criterion 5.