English Language Arts — Grade 6

How do I look to you?

In this lesson, students will evaluate public service posters and a grooming pamphlet to determine if and how propaganda was used to improve the health of children, and define acceptable appearances for young women in the 1930s.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

By Loretta Wilson.

Finding hidden messages in advertising

In CareerStart lessons: Grade six, page 1.3

In this lesson for grade six, students will look for hidden messages in magazine advertisements and will create their own ads with hidden messages.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 English Language Arts)

By Jennifer Brookshire and Julie McCann.

Resources on the web

A world of myths

In this lesson from ARTSEDGE, students explore how myths help to explain nature and science. Students read, discuss, and respond in writing to a variety of myths. They then create a graphic representation of one of those myths. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Reading and writing workshop: "Freak The Mighty"

This lesson plan from ReadWriteThink is a novel study of Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. The lesson includes the modeling and practicing of specific reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary and word study, a figurative language activity,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Promoting diversity in the classroom and school library through social action

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students explore stereotypes in children's picture books, such as Disney's Princess Collection, in order to identify the limited view established in these fictional worlds. Next, students compare these stereotyped representations... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Postmodern picture books in the middle school

Students learn to analyze plot and critique the author's intent in this lesson that focuses on Black and White by David Macaulay, a picture book that presents four story lines. Students will also explore multi-literacies and... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Points of view in the news

This Xpeditions lesson will help students sort through the myriad points of view offered on the Internet and evaluate the sources and purposes of news articles and websites. Students will read articles from National Geographic News and answer questions... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Information Skills)

Provided by: Xpeditions

The poet's voice: Langston Hughes and you

Some poets achieve popular acclaim only when they express clear and widely shared emotions with a forceful, distinctive, and memorable voice. But what is meant by voice in poetry, and what qualities have made the voice of Langston Hughes a favorite for... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Poems that tell a story: Narrative and persona in the poetry of Robert Frost

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students read, discuss, and analyze selected poems by Robert Frost. The activities that make up this lesson encourage students to draw inferences about a poem's speaker based on evidence contained within the poem and to gather... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Pictures in words: Poems of Tennyson and Noyes

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students will explore how poets Tennyson and Noyes use words to paint vivid and memorable pictures and describe how “word pictures” emphasize or qualify the meanings of their poems. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Myth and truth: "The First Thanksgiving"

Students learn to think critically about commonly believed American myths in this lesson that explores the first “Thanksgiving”. As an introductory activity, students participate in a free-write or class discussion about the difference between... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Modeling reading and analysis processes with the works of Edgar Allan Poe

Explore reading strategies using the think-aloud process as students investigate connections between the life and writings of Edgar Allan Poe in this ReadWriteThink lesson, which begins with an in-depth exploration of “The Raven.” Students move... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Memories matter: "The Giver" and descriptive writing memoirs

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will combine reading with descriptive writing. Students read The Giver by Lois Lowry, as well as short biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs in order to understand the differences between them.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Media awareness: The basics of advertising

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students discuss why they like the particular toy they have chosen to bring to class. They brainstorm, making a list of different categories of toys, and then discuss reasons for valuing particular toys. They begin to explore the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Media awareness: Helping a product cross the finish line

In this final lesson of the Media Awareness unit, students will complete their advertisements, adding in details (such as color and symbols) and background/foreground space on the picture plane. Students will also share their advertisements with the class.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Leading to great places in the middle school classroom

In this lesson that examines leads in literature, students consider how an author's description of setting, action, character, and use of reflection can create strong leads. After the teacher shares examples of great leads, students rate and discuss their... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Inquiry on the internet: Evaluating web pages for a class collection

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students conduct a class inquiry project, individually or in groups, collecting Web-based resources that can be used for further study during the course of the class or for more in-depth projects. Students use Internet... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Finding figurative language in “The Phantom Tollbooth”

After reading the first two chapters of The Phantom Tollbooth, students are introduced to figurative language through a brief PowerPoint presentation. Once they understand how authors use figurative language in novels, students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Exploring author's voice using Jane Addams Award-winning books

In this lesson, students explore author's voice and style using Jane Addams Award-winning books. After reading and examining The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy, a Jane Addams Honor... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Every punctuation mark matters: A mini-lesson on semicolons

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “Letter from Birmingham Jail"” demonstrates that even the smallest punctuation mark signals a stylistic decision, distinguishing one writer from another and enabling an author to move an audience. In this mini-lesson,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink