Common Core Standards

Grade 6

Writing W.6.1

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Once upon a time, there was a sixth grader who could write pretty good essays and everyone was happy. The end.

While it may not be as easy as that for most students, this Common Core Standard is there to guide them towards that goal. In order to meet it, the Common Core asks students to do five things:

1. Don't confuse the teacher into thinking an essay is about ponies when it's actually about unicorns.
2. Be able to back up what they're saying.
3. Use transitional words/phrases (such as "because" or "while").
4. Don't go all slang in the essay and use "you"s all over the place, y'know?
5. End an essay with something more than a "thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this essay."

See, that wasn't too hard, was it? As long as students follow the five sub-standards, they should be writing pretty good essays in no time.

Standard Components

Example 1

Here's a lesson to use when students are reading Hatchet. You could fill in a different novel of your choosing, as well.

Have students engage in research on a topic related to survival or the book, Hatchet, to answer a research question. Students will focus on formulating a topic sentence and thesis statement and using research from both print and digital sources to support their findings. They must also create a bibliography of at least five sources.

Aligned Resources

Teacher Guides

More standards from Grade 6 - Writing

If I'd had to teach to the Common Core, I would have used Shmoop, too.

Aristotle

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