What does a student learn in StateVermont,GradeGrade 6,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students find the exact words from a story or poem that back up what they're saying about it. If they make a claim about a character or event, they point to the specific sentence in the text that proves it.

Students find the main message of a story and trace how it grows across the text. Then they summarize the key details that support it, in their own words.

Students track how a character, event, or idea changes from the beginning of a story to the end, and explain what causes those changes. The focus is on how one part of the story pushes another forward.

Students figure out what specific words mean in a story or poem, including when words carry extra emotional weight or aren't meant literally. Then they look at how those word choices change the mood or meaning of the whole piece.

Students look at how a story or poem is built, noticing how one paragraph sets up the next and how early scenes connect to the ending. The goal is to see the whole piece as a deliberate structure, not just a sequence of events.

Students figure out who is telling a story and explain how that choice changes what gets included, what gets left out, and how the writing sounds.

Students compare what a story or poem says in words to how the same idea looks in a film clip, audio recording, or image. They explain what changes when the format changes.

Students read a nonfiction passage and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They check if the reasoning makes sense and if the facts or examples actually support the point being made.

Students read two texts on the same topic and compare how each author handles it. They look at what the authors agree on, where they differ, and what each choice adds to the reader's understanding.

Students read full-length novels, stories, and poems on their own at the sixth-grade level. The goal is real reading, not just short passages, handled independently without help on every page.

Students back up their ideas with direct quotes or details from the article or passage they read, not just their own opinion.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction passage and trace how the author builds it across paragraphs. They then sum up the key details that back it up, in their own words.

Students track how a person, event, or idea changes from the beginning of a nonfiction text to the end, and explain what caused those changes. The focus is on how the pieces connect, not just what happened.

Students figure out what words mean based on how they're used in a nonfiction passage, including slang, technical terms, and comparisons. Then they look at how those word choices shift the feeling or message of the whole piece.

Students look at how a paragraph connects to the rest of an article or essay. They explain why the author placed a detail or section where they did and what work that piece does for the whole.

Students figure out who wrote a text and why, then explain how that shapes what the author chose to include and how they said it.

Students read information the same way they'll encounter it in real life: as a mix of written text, charts, images, and video. They practice pulling those sources together to understand what a topic is actually saying.

Students read a nonfiction passage and decide whether the author's argument actually holds up. They check if the reasons make sense and if the facts used are relevant to the point being made.

Students read two or more nonfiction pieces on the same topic and compare how each author approaches it. They look at what each writer includes, what they leave out, and how those choices shape what readers learn.

Students read full-length articles, essays, and reports on their own, without a teacher walking them through it. The goal is handling grade-level nonfiction independently.

Students write a paragraph or essay that argues a position on a real topic or text. They back up their claim with reasoning and specific evidence, not just opinion.

Students write essays or reports that explain a topic clearly, using facts and details to help the reader understand something. The goal is accuracy, not opinion.

Students write a story, real or made-up, with a clear sequence of events and details that make scenes and characters feel specific. The focus is on structure and word choice, not just getting the plot down.

Students write paragraphs and essays that fit the situation: the right level of detail, a clear structure, and a tone that matches who will read it and why.

Students plan, draft, revise, and edit their writing until it says what they mean. That might mean fixing a few sentences or scrapping a paragraph and starting over.

Students use computers and the internet to write, publish, and share their work with others. This includes collaborating with classmates on shared documents and posting writing for a real audience.

Students pick a focused question and research it long enough to actually understand the topic, not just skim a few sources. Short projects might take a day or two; longer ones build over weeks.

Students find information from books and websites, check whether each source can be trusted, and put the ideas into their own words instead of copying them.

Students pull quotes and details from a book or article to back up their ideas in writing. The evidence has to actually support the point they're making, not just appear nearby.

Students write often, both in quick in-class assignments and longer projects. The goal is to get comfortable writing for different reasons and different readers.

Sixth graders come to class discussions ready to talk, having read or thought through the topic beforehand. They build on what classmates say and explain their own ideas clearly enough to bring others around to their point of view.

Students watch a video, study a chart, or listen to a talk, then pull the key ideas together and decide what the information is actually saying. The source doesn't matter. The thinking does.

Students listen to a speech or presentation and judge whether the speaker's argument holds up: Is the reasoning sound? Is the evidence real? Are they using language to persuade rather than inform?

Students organize a spoken presentation so listeners can follow the argument from point to point. The structure, detail, and word choice fit the topic and the people in the room.

Students choose charts, images, or other visuals to make a presentation clearer and more convincing. The goal is purposeful: each visual supports the message rather than just decorating the slides.

Students adjust how they speak depending on the situation, using formal English for a class presentation or discussion and a more casual tone when the setting calls for it.

Students apply standard grammar rules in their writing and speaking. That means using correct verb tenses, pronoun agreement, and sentence structure without being prompted.

Students apply correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in their writing. That means knowing when to capitalize a word, where a comma or period belongs, and how to spell the words they use.

Students learn to choose words and sentences that fit the moment, whether they are writing an email, crafting a story, or reading something closely. The goal is to understand why a writer made a particular choice and to make sharper choices themselves.

When students hit an unfamiliar word, they use clues from the surrounding sentences, break the word into roots or prefixes, or look it up in a dictionary or glossary to figure out what it means.

Figurative language goes beyond the literal meaning of words. Students identify phrases like metaphors, similes, and idioms, explain what they mean in context, and recognize how word choice shifts the feeling or tone of a sentence.

Students build a working vocabulary of the kind of precise, subject-specific words that show up across school subjects. They use those words accurately when reading, writing, and speaking, not just when filling in a worksheet.