The Common Core Language Arts Standards in California

Skills available for California sixth-grade language arts standards. Standards are listed below and extra practice/examples can be found on IXL.com

6.L Language

6 Conventions of Standard English
- 6.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  - 6.L.1.a Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive).
  - 6.L.1.b Use all pronouns, including intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves), correctly.
  - 6.L.1.c Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.
    - Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person (6-Z.5)
  - 6.L.1.d Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
    - Identify vague pronoun references (6-Z.3)
    - Identify all of the possible antecedents (6-Z.4)
  - 6.L.1.e Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language.
    - Which sentence is more formal? (6-C.1)
- 6.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  - 6.L.2.a Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
  - 6.L.2.b Spell correctly.
6 Knowledge of Language
- 6.L.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
  - 6.L.3.a Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/ listener interest, and style.
  - 6.L.3.b Maintain consistency in style and tone.
    - Which sentence is more formal? (6-C.1)
    - Compare passages for tone (6-C.2)
6 Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
- 6.L.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.
  - 6.L.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.
  - 6.L.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).
  - 6.L.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.
  - 6.L.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).
- 6.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
  - 6.L.5.a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
  - 6.L.5.b Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole, item/category) to better understand each of the words.
  - 6.L.5.c Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
    - Describe the difference between related words (6-T.1)
    - Positive and negative connotation (6-T.2)
- 6.L.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.

RI.6 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.
- 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, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
Craft and Structure
- 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.
  - Compare and contrast in informational texts (6-D.1)
  - Match causes and effects in informational texts (6-D.2)
  - Match problems with their solutions (6-D.3)
  - Identify text structures (6-D.4)
  - Trace an argument (6-G.3)
  - Organize information by main idea (6-J.2)
  - RI.6.5.a Analyze the use of text features (e.g., graphics, headers, captions) in popular media.
- 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.
  - Read graphic organizers (6-I.2)
- 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.
- 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).
  - Compare information from two texts (6-H.1)
  - Compare two texts with different genres (6-H.2)
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- RI.6.10 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.

RL.6 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.
  - Match the quotations with their themes (6-B.1)
  - Determine the themes of short stories (6-B.2)
- 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.
  - Analyze short stories (6-F.1)
Craft and Structure
- 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.
- 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.
  - Match the quotations with their themes (6-B.1)
- RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
  - Identify the narrative point of view (6-E.2)
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.
  - Determine the themes of short stories (6-B.2)
  - Compare two texts with different genres (6-H.2)
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- RL.6.10 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.