Common Core: 6th Grade English Language Arts : Reading
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Common Core: 6th Grade English Language Arts
All Common Core: 6th Grade English Language Arts Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #8 : Reading To Understanding Texts In Different Media
Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea (1835)
Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do. So he traveled through all the world to find her, and everywhere things went wrong. There were Princesses aplenty, but how was he to know whether they were real Princesses? There was something not quite right about them all. So he came home again and was unhappy because he did so want to have a real Princess.
One evening a terrible storm blew up. It lightened and thundered and rained. It was really frightful! In the midst of it all came a knocking at the town gate. The old King went to open it.
Who should be standing outside but a Princess, and what a sight she was in all that rain and wind. Water streamed from her hair down her clothes into her shoes and ran out at the heels. Yet she claimed to be a real Princess.
"We'll soon find that out," the old Queen thought to herself. Without saying a word about it she went to the bedchamber, stripped back the bedclothes, and put just one pea at the bottom of the bed. Then she took twenty mattresses and piled them on the pea. Then she took twenty eiderdown feather beds and piled them on the mattresses. Up on top of all these the Princess was to spend the night.
In the morning they asked her, "Did you sleep well?" " Oh!" said the Princess. "No. I scarcely slept at all. Heaven knows what's in that bed. I lay on something so hard that I'm black and blue all over. It was simply terrible."
They could see she was a real Princess and no question about it, now that she had felt one pea all the way through twenty mattresses and twenty more feather beds. Nobody but a Princess could be so delicate. So the Prince made haste to marry her because he knew he had found a real Princess.
As for the pea, they put it in the museum. There it's still to be seen unless somebody has taken it. There, that's a true story.
If as a reader you are only able to view the illustrations what would you predict this story is about?
This story is about a lost crown that people are looking for in a bedroom.
The illustrations do not help readers predict what the story is about.
Most likely this story is about a queen or princess, maybe someone of royalty.
This story will most likely be about people who are having issues with candles.
Most likely this story is about a queen or princess, maybe someone of royalty.
Answer: Most likely this story is about a queen or princess, maybe someone of royalty. Looking at the two photos there are females and also a crown. One of the females seems to be wearing a crown so it is reasonable to assume she is of some royal standing. The other answer choices make it more difficult to predict from just two simple illustrations.
Example Question #9 : Reading To Understanding Texts In Different Media
Image adapted from Edward de Deene, De warachtighe fabvlen der dieren, Brugghe, 1567, plate 26. Aesop's fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b06025/>.
Adapted from Aesop’s The Ants & the Grasshopper (620-560 BCE)
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
Authors will use different media or text features to tell a story. In the case of “The Ants & The Grasshopper” there is an illustration provided with the passage. How is an illustration different from a photograph?
An illustration and a photograph are the same so there are no differences.
An illustration is extremely detailed and colored while a photograph is black and white.
An illustration is a drawing and a photograph is an image taken with a camera.
An illustration is an image taken with a camera and a photograph is a drawing.
An illustration is a drawing and a photograph is an image taken with a camera.
Answer: An illustration is a drawing and a photograph is an image taken with a camera. Both are text features and types of media used to help readers understand a story or passage but they are different forms of artwork.
Example Question #10 : Reading To Understanding Texts In Different Media
Image adapted from Edward de Deene, De warachtighe fabvlen der dieren, Brugghe, 1567, plate 26. Aesop's fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b06025/>.
Adapted from Aesop’s The Ants & the Grasshopper (620-560 BCE)
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
What caption would you write for this illustration?
“The ants and grasshopper discuss their plans to host a party.”
“Grasshopper questions the ants about food to help him through the winter.”
“The ants question grasshopper about food to help them through the winter.”
“The grasshopper invites the ants to join him in a song and dance.”
“Grasshopper questions the ants about food to help him through the winter.”
Answer: “Grasshopper questions the ants about food to help him through the winter.” The illustration depicts the grasshopper and ants having a discussion. When referring to the text it can be read that they are discussing Grasshopper’s lack of preparation before the upcoming winter.
Example Question #31 : Integration Of Knowledge And Ideas
Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea (1835)
Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do. So he traveled through all the world to find her, and everywhere things went wrong. There were Princesses aplenty, but how was he to know whether they were real Princesses? There was something not quite right about them all. So he came home again and was unhappy because he did so want to have a real Princess.
One evening a terrible storm blew up. It lightened and thundered and rained. It was really frightful! In the midst of it all came a knocking at the town gate. The old King went to open it.
Who should be standing outside but a Princess, and what a sight she was in all that rain and wind. Water streamed from her hair down her clothes into her shoes and ran out at the heels. Yet she claimed to be a real Princess.
"We'll soon find that out," the old Queen thought to herself. Without saying a word about it she went to the bedchamber, stripped back the bedclothes, and put just one pea at the bottom of the bed. Then she took twenty mattresses and piled them on the pea. Then she took twenty eiderdown feather beds and piled them on the mattresses. Up on top of all these the Princess was to spend the night.
In the morning they asked her, "Did you sleep well?" " Oh!" said the Princess. "No. I scarcely slept at all. Heaven knows what's in that bed. I lay on something so hard that I'm black and blue all over. It was simply terrible."
They could see she was a real Princess and no question about it, now that she had felt one pea all the way through twenty mattresses and twenty more feather beds. Nobody but a Princess could be so delicate. So the Prince made haste to marry her because he knew he had found a real Princess.
As for the pea, they put it in the museum. There it's still to be seen unless somebody has taken it. There, that's a true story.
What media form could this story be told in to help you understand the text better?
Song
Graphs and data tables
Video
Poem
Video
Answer: Video. Seeing this story put in a video form will give readers a clearer picture of the details as well as the characters and settings. A video would help understand the nuances that can be difficult to picture in a text-based setting. In a video media form, music and sound effects can also be added to set the mood and tone of the story.
Example Question #32 : Integration Of Knowledge And Ideas
Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://lccn.loc.gov/19014083>.
Adapted from Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher (620-560 BCE)
In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.
Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble, the water rose a little higher until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.
How could this illustration be changed to include more detail from the passage?
The pitcher could be transparent so the amount of water is visible.
The crow could pick up more pebbles from the ground so the readers could see his choices.
The illustration could be in color so it is more interesting to look at.
The bird could be more detailed rather than just shaded a dark color.
The pitcher could be transparent so the amount of water is visible.
Answer: The pitcher could be transparent so the amount of water is visible. The correct answer choice uses information from the passage and includes a detail that would be useful for the reader. The other answer choices are either not plausible to include in a single illustration or are not details present in the text.
Example Question #33 : Integration Of Knowledge And Ideas
Image adapted from Edward de Deene, De warachtighe fabvlen der dieren, Brugghe, 1567, plate 26. Aesop's fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b06025/>.
Adapted from Aesop’s The Ants & the Grasshopper (620-560 BCE)
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
What is a difference that can be found between the passage and the illustration?
In the passage, there were multiple ants but in the illustration, there is only one.
The grasshopper does not have the fiddle under his arm in the illustration.
The passage and illustration are identical and there are no differences.
The ants are depicted as being much larger than the grasshopper.
The grasshopper does not have the fiddle under his arm in the illustration.
Answer: The grasshopper does not have the fiddle under his arm in the illustration. The passage describes the grasshopper as playing music and then putting the fiddle under his arm. In the illustration, there is no fiddle under his arm or hints of music.
Example Question #41 : Integration Of Knowledge And Ideas
Image adapted from Edward de Deene, De warachtighe fabvlen der dieren, Brugghe, 1567, plate 26. Aesop's fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b06025/>.
Adapted from Aesop’s The Ants & the Grasshopper (620-560 BCE)
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants was bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
"Making music, were you?" they cried. "Very well; now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
How does the illustration help readers understand the passage?
The illustration can help readers picture what is happening in the story with more detail.
The illustration provides more information than the passage gives.
The illustration tells the entire story so reading the passage isn’t necessary.
The illustration does not help the reader understand anything about the passage.
The illustration can help readers picture what is happening in the story with more detail.
Answer: The illustration can help readers picture what is happening in the story with more detail. A visual such as an illustration or photograph is a text feature that can assist readers with understanding more about a story. This illustration provides examples of the setting and characters to help readers picture the events and happenings in the passage.
Example Question #42 : Integration Of Knowledge And Ideas
Image adapted from The Aesop for children / with pictures by Milo Winter, 1919. Aesop's fable of The Crow and the Pitcher. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress, <https://lccn.loc.gov/19014083>.
Adapted from Aesop’s The Crow and the Pitcher (620-560 BCE)
In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.
Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble, the water rose a little higher until at last, it was near enough so he could drink.
Why did the author choose to add this text feature? (The illustration)
The author added this text feature to enhance the reader’s understanding of the details within the passage.
The author did not choose to add this text feature. Illustrations must be added to stories.
The author added this text feature to make the book look better.
The author added this text feature to make the story more interesting to the reader.
The author added this text feature to enhance the reader’s understanding of the details within the passage.
Answer: The author added this text feature to enhance the reader’s understanding of the details within the passage. When a reader can visualize what is taking place in the story it becomes more realistic and they are able to understand the details within the story on a deeper level.
Example Question #43 : Integration Of Knowledge And Ideas
Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea (1835)
Once there was a Prince who wanted to marry a Princess. Only a real one would do. So he traveled through all the world to find her, and everywhere things went wrong. There were Princesses aplenty, but how was he to know whether they were real Princesses? There was something not quite right about them all. So he came home again and was unhappy because he did so want to have a real Princess.
One evening a terrible storm blew up. It lightened and thundered and rained. It was really frightful! In the midst of it all came a knocking at the town gate. The old King went to open it.
Who should be standing outside but a Princess, and what a sight she was in all that rain and wind. Water streamed from her hair down her clothes into her shoes and ran out at the heels. Yet she claimed to be a real Princess.
"We'll soon find that out," the old Queen thought to herself. Without saying a word about it she went to the bedchamber, stripped back the bedclothes, and put just one pea at the bottom of the bed. Then she took twenty mattresses and piled them on the pea. Then she took twenty eiderdown feather beds and piled them on the mattresses. Up on top of all these the Princess was to spend the night.
In the morning they asked her, "Did you sleep well?" " Oh!" said the Princess. "No. I scarcely slept at all. Heaven knows what's in that bed. I lay on something so hard that I'm black and blue all over. It was simply terrible."
They could see she was a real Princess and no question about it, now that she had felt one pea all the way through twenty mattresses and twenty more feather beds. Nobody but a Princess could be so delicate. So the Prince made haste to marry her because he knew he had found a real Princess.
As for the pea, they put it in the museum. There it's still to be seen unless somebody has taken it. There, that's a true story.
How do the text features relate to the text?
The illustrations feature the Prince proposing to the Princess to show the ending of the passage.
The illustrations show the pea being placed under the mattresses and the Princess sleeping.
The illustrations feature a crown and a female wearing a crown who may be the Princess mentioned in the story.
The illustrations feature all of the characters from the passage.
The illustrations feature a crown and a female wearing a crown who may be the Princess mentioned in the story.
Answer: The illustrations feature a crown and a female wearing a crown who may be the Princess mentioned in the story. The text features demonstrate details from the story to help readers envision what is taking place in the story.
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All Common Core: 6th Grade English Language Arts Resources
