Sixth graders should be able to formulate arguments, support claims with reasoning and evidence and write a compelling conclusion. Students should have command of a formal style and use clauses and phrases to make clear the connections between claims and reasons. As per informative text, sixth graders should be able to explore a topic via the organization and evaluation of germane content. Employing various strategies, such as classification, cause and effect, and comparing and contrasting, students should be able to evolve a topic with facts, quotations, examples and definitions. Students should also be able to create narratives using characters, dialogue, plotting and pacing. Their narratives should reveal the use of sensory language and sequences of events that unfold in a logical way.
Students in sixth grade should be to write in complete sentences that adhere to correct sentence structure. Their writing should display subject-verb agreement, the correct verb tense and use of pronouns, phrases and clauses. Students should not only augment their vocabulary but use new words in their writing assignments. They should be able to select the correct writing style to complete a given purpose or task. Editing and revision with a teacher's supervision or the help of peers should be an integral part of their writing process. Sixth graders should exhibit competence in the use of technology, ranging from doing research on the Internet to handling a keyboard to produce text.
Sixth graders should be able to plan and implement a research project to respond to an inquiry. They should investigate a range of sources, sorting the strongest and most relevant sources and recognizing ones that lack credibility. Students should be able to paraphrase or quote information and create a bibliography. Gathering evidence to back their analysis of both literary and informational content should become an integral part of their writing process.
Students in the sixth grade should be able to complete both long-term assignments that require research, contemplation and rewriting as well as short-term assignments that test a student's ability to think and organize material quickly. They should be able to distinguish various features -- such as cultural, historical, political and social influences on literary content -- and be able to write a considered response to them. Sixth graders should be writing creatively in various genres, including plays, poetry and short stories.