Reading 

You already know how to read. Why do we focus on it in 6th grade? 

Some of you have been reading since before Kindergarten. You already know how to read. I'm here to teach you how to read text as the sophisticated reader you are now expected to be, so you can recognize the hidden deeper meaning in texts and see the world through different perspectives as you enter young-adulthood.   

As a 6th grader, you're now meant to build higher stamina, pick up on subtleties in a character's personality, uncover hidden meanings, hold onto ideas over a long period of time, understand motives and inner struggles of characters, be able to defend your thinking about text using evidence, and relate the plot to larger ideas in the world. A lot is expected of you and I'll seamlessly show you the way to not only notice these elements in your reading, but engage with, analyze, understand and speak about them intellectually as well.  

We'll focus on something called "Notice & Note Signposts". When you learn to identify "signposts" as you read and ask yourself questions when you do notice these key points in text, you'll think deeper about the author’s choices and better be able to discover the hidden meaning behind the text.

The 6 Signposts Focuses in Fiction Reading:


Reading in Books that Feel Right: 

We are all naturally guided by our current reading levels and this level changes throughout the year.; it can not define us. When you choose books on your reading level, which are books that feel just right to read while having a few challenging words per page, you progress to higher reading levels faster. You do not ALWAYS need to choose books that feel as if they are on your reading level- that's not the way real life works - focus on your interest, and aim to choose books that feel mostly comfortable.  Many students in grade 6 will fall into 3 leveled bands of text complexity; listed below are the particular ways in which the demands in that text band change.  Basically, the charts below describe how the reader's thinking and attention needs to shift while reading in each text band.