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

Students find specific lines or passages from a story or poem that back up their thinking, whether the text states something directly or they had to read between the lines to figure it out.

Students find the main message of a story and trace how specific details build it. They also summarize what happened without adding their own opinions.

Students track how a story's plot builds episode by episode and explain how characters shift or grow as events push toward an ending.

Students figure out what words mean in context, including when language is figurative or charged with feeling. Then they look at why the author chose that word and how it shifts the mood of a passage.

A specific scene, chapter, or stanza doesn't just sit in a story. Students look at how one part fits the bigger structure and what it adds to the plot, the setting, or the idea the author is building.

Students figure out who is telling the story and how the author shapes that narrator's voice, attitude, and perspective through word choices and details in the text.

Students compare reading a story or poem to watching or hearing it performed, noticing what the words alone made them picture versus what the video, audio, or live version actually showed them.

This standard doesn't apply to literature. In English classes, analyzing an author's argument or evidence is a skill reserved for nonfiction texts, not stories, poems, or plays.

Two books can tackle the same idea from completely different angles. Students compare how a poem and a short story, or a fantasy and a historical novel, each approach the same theme or topic.

Students read novels, plays, and poems at a sixth-through-eighth-grade level by the end of the year. Some of the harder texts come with extra support to help students work through them.

Students back up their ideas about a nonfiction passage by quoting or paraphrasing the text directly. They also explain what the text implies, not just what it says out loud.

Students find the main point an author is making and trace how specific details back it up. Then they summarize the piece in their own words, leaving out their own opinions.

Students pick one person, event, or idea from a nonfiction text and trace how the author introduces it, builds on it, and uses specific examples or stories to make it stick.

Students figure out what unfamiliar words mean based on how they're used in a nonfiction passage, including words with hidden meanings, emotional weight, or specialized vocabulary from science, history, or other subjects.

Students look at how a single sentence or paragraph connects to the rest of an article or chapter. They explain why the author placed it there and what it adds to the piece's main idea.

Students figure out what an author believes or wants the reader to think, then point to specific sentences or details that show it. The focus is on how word choice and tone reveal the author's angle, not just what the text says.

Students pull together information from a chart, a video, or a written article to build a fuller picture of one topic. Reading words alone isn't enough; students use every format to fill in what the others leave out.

Students read an argument and decide which claims the author actually backs up with facts or reasons, and which ones the author just states without proof.

Students read two accounts of the same event or person, written by different authors, and compare what each one emphasizes, leaves out, or gets wrong. The goal is to see how the author's position shapes the story.

Students read nonfiction books and articles written at a middle school level. By the end of sixth grade, they handle that reading on their own, with some support when the text gets harder.

Students write a paragraph or essay that takes a position and backs it up with specific reasons and proof from a text or source. The goal is to convince a reader, not just share an opinion.

Students write an opening that states their argument and then lines up the supporting reasons in an order that makes sense.

Students back up their main argument with reasons and facts pulled from trustworthy sources. The goal is to show they actually understand the topic, not just have an opinion about it.

Students practice linking their argument and supporting reasons with connecting words like "because," "therefore," and "as a result." Those transitions show readers how each reason actually backs up the main claim.

Writing an argument means choosing words and a tone that fit the task. Students practice dropping casual, conversational language and sticking with a consistent formal style from the first sentence to the last.

Students wrap up an argument essay with a closing paragraph that connects back to what they argued. The ending doesn't just stop; it shows the reader why the argument holds together.

Students write a focused explanation of a real topic, choosing facts and details that matter, then arranging them so a reader can follow the thinking from start to finish.

Students open an informational piece by clearly naming the topic, then organize what follows using tools like headings or charts to help readers understand how ideas connect.

Students back up the main topic with facts, real examples, or direct quotes from sources. The goal is to give readers enough detail to actually understand the subject, not just a surface-level summary.

Students choose words and phrases like "for example," "as a result," or "on the other hand" to show how one idea connects to the next. Without these, paragraphs feel like a list of separate thoughts.

Students choose exact words that fit the subject, including terms a scientist, historian, or expert would actually use. Vague words like "stuff" or "things" get replaced with the specific vocabulary that makes the explanation clear.

Writing for school or work calls for a different tone than texting a friend. Students learn to choose words and sentences that sound professional and stay that way throughout a piece.

The final paragraph of an informational piece wraps up the main ideas. Students write a closing that grows out of what they explained, not a new thought dropped in at the end.

Students write a story, real or made-up, with a clear sequence of events and details that bring the characters and setting to life. The writing follows a structure that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.

Students open a narrative by setting up where and when the story takes place and introducing who is in it. From there, the events follow in an order that makes sense.

Students use conversation between characters, well-timed details, and vivid description to make the people and events in a story feel real and worth reading.

Students practice connecting scenes and moments in a story using words like "later," "meanwhile," or "by the time" to show when things happen and when the setting changes.

Students choose exact words and sensory details to make a scene feel real. The right word does more than a vague one: "scorched" lands harder than "hot," and a specific detail pulls the reader into the moment.

Students write an ending that grows naturally out of what happened in the story. The final paragraph wraps up the events rather than stopping without warning or adding something unrelated.

Students learn to match their writing to the situation: a persuasive letter sounds different from a lab report, and both sound different from a personal story. The writing stays focused and organized from start to finish.

Students learn to improve a piece of writing by planning it out, revising weak spots, editing for errors, or starting fresh when something isn't working. A teacher or classmate helps, but students do the thinking.

Students use word processors or other digital tools to write and share their work, sometimes on their own and sometimes with classmates. The finished piece is ready to read online or in print.

Students pick a question, gather information from multiple sources, and write a short research piece. If the research leads somewhere unexpected, students adjust their focus and follow where the evidence points.

Students pull facts from books and websites, check whether each source can be trusted, and then write those facts in their own words or as direct quotes. They give credit to every source they use.

Students find quotes and details from a book or article that back up their argument or analysis. The evidence has to actually fit the point they're making, not just mention the same topic.

Students read two pieces of literature, such as a story and a poem on the same topic, and write about how each one handles that topic differently. The writing shows students can think across texts, not just summarize one.

Students read nonfiction books or articles and decide whether the author's argument holds up. They look for claims backed by real evidence and spot ones that are just opinions or assertions with nothing behind them.

Students write often, in short bursts and across longer projects, for different reasons and different readers. Practice across both paces builds the habit of putting ideas into writing for any subject or situation.

Students practice talking through ideas with classmates and teachers, whether in pairs or small groups. They listen well enough to build on what someone else said, then share their own thinking clearly.

Students read or study the assigned material before a group discussion, then point to specific lines or details from it when sharing or questioning ideas in class.

Students learn to run a group discussion with basic structure: agreeing on what to accomplish, setting a time frame, and deciding who handles what.

Students ask focused questions and build on others' answers with specific details, keeping the conversation on topic rather than drifting into general opinions.

After a group discussion, students restate what others said in their own words and show they understood different viewpoints, not just their own.

Students watch a video, read a graph, or listen to a speaker and then explain in their own words how that source connects to what the class is studying.

Students listen to a speech or presentation and sort out which points the speaker actually backs up with reasons and facts, and which ones they just state without proof.

Students stand up and speak clearly about a topic, putting their main points in a logical order and backing them up with relevant facts. They practice looking at their audience, speaking loudly enough to be heard, and pronouncing words clearly.

Students add images, graphics, or sound to a presentation to make their point clearer. The visuals and audio support what they're saying, not just decorate the slides.

Students learn to shift how they speak depending on who's listening. Talking to a teacher or presenting to the class calls for more formal language than chatting with friends.

Students apply the grammar rules of standard written and spoken English, things like subject-verb agreement, correct pronoun use, and proper sentence structure, in their writing and class discussions.

Students learn when to use "I" versus "me" versus "mine" in a sentence. The right choice depends on whether the pronoun is doing the action, receiving it, or showing ownership.

Students use words like "myself" or "themselves" to add emphasis to a sentence. For example, "She built it herself" stresses that no one else did the work.

Students check their writing to make sure pronouns stay consistent. If a sentence starts talking about "a student," it shouldn't suddenly switch to "you" or "they."

Students spot pronouns like "it" or "they" that could refer to more than one thing in a sentence, then fix them by naming the exact person or object instead.

Students notice grammar or usage mistakes in their own writing and in what they read or hear, then fix those mistakes using strategies like revising a sentence or swapping out an awkward word.

Students apply capitalization, punctuation, and spelling rules in their own writing. That means knowing when to use a capital letter, where a comma or period goes, and how to spell words correctly.

Students learn when to set a detail apart from the rest of a sentence using commas, parentheses, or dashes. The detail adds useful information but could be removed without breaking the sentence's meaning.

Students spell words correctly in their writing, including tricky words they often misspell. This standard covers spelling across all written work, not just on spelling tests.

Students choose words and sentences that fit the situation, whether they are writing a story, giving a talk, or reading closely. The goal is to sound right for the moment, not just correct.

Students practice writing sentences in different lengths and structures so a paragraph doesn't sound like a list of identical lines. The goal is to keep a reader's attention and match the tone of the piece.

Students practice keeping the same voice and level of formality throughout a piece of writing, so a paragraph that starts formal doesn't suddenly shift to casual slang.

Students figure out what unfamiliar or tricky words mean by using context clues, word roots, or a dictionary. The goal is picking the right strategy for the word and the sentence it appears in.

Students use the surrounding sentences and paragraph to figure out what an unfamiliar word means, without stopping to look it up.

Students use familiar Greek and Latin word parts, like "aud" meaning hear, to figure out what an unfamiliar word means. Recognizing these roots turns a strange word into a puzzle students can solve on their own.

Students look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary or thesaurus, print or online, to check spelling, pronunciation, meaning, or how the word functions in a sentence.

Students make a guess about what an unfamiliar word means, then check that guess by looking at the surrounding sentences or a dictionary. It's a two-step habit: infer first, then confirm.

Figurative language shows up in poems, stories, and everyday speech. Students learn to spot metaphors, idioms, and other expressions where words mean more than their dictionary definition, and to explain what those phrases actually mean in context.

Students read a sentence and explain what a figure of speech, like personification, actually means in context. They look at the words around it to figure out what the author meant, not just what the words literally say.

Students use word relationships to unlock meaning. If they know "flooding" is an effect, they can work backward to find its cause, or if they know "oak" is a type of tree, that connection helps them understand both words more precisely.

Words can share a basic meaning but feel very different. Students learn to spot how words like "cheap" and "thrifty" point to the same idea while carrying opposite tones.

Students learn and correctly use the words that show up in textbooks, class discussions, and subject-area reading. When a word matters for understanding or writing, students look it up and add it to how they speak and write.