Common Core Standards

Grade 6

Reading 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.

Fifth grade asks students to simply identify a theme through general examples; sixth grade asks them to identify a theme and back that theme up with a few quotes. However, they aren't required to use lots of quotes from throughout a text, as that's the job of seventh graders. The second part of the standard is pretty self-explanatory, since it asks students to objectively summarize a work.

Example 1

Here's a fun lesson to use when students are reading The Giver.

Just as Jonas “receives” memories from the Giver, students will use the theme of memories to create their own book of images, feelings, and memories of special times in their lives. They will create a digital book that reflects their individualities and uniqueness.

Aligned Resources