Common Core Standards

Grade 6

Reading 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.

This Common Core Standard is similar to that of the corresponding eighth grade standard (RL.8.3), except students only have to pick out general scenes instead specific quotes when describing how a story develops. Students should be able to answer simple cause-and-effect questions about the plot of a work or about how a character reacts to something in the plot.

Example 1

Here's a lesson to use when your students are reading a mystery.

Have students complete a “Case File” for the mystery they read. They must fill out the graphic organizer for each part of the mystery such as possible suspects, location, clues, important events, “red herrings,” leads, etc. They must also “close the case” by documenting the climax of the plot in the mystery (when the murder/thief/important item is discovered) and its resolution.

Aligned Resources

Video

Teacher Guides

Aristotle

The observed gravitational effect between Common Core activities results from their warping of Shmooptime.