What Ontario grade 6 students learn in language arts

Your child will learn how skills they already have, like understanding different viewpoints, can help them communicate better in many situations, whether they are reading, listening, watching, or creating different kinds of stories and information.

Your child will be able to explain how skills they learn in one area, like problem-solving, can be used in other areas to help them share their ideas, be more involved in school, and plan for their future.

Your child will learn about their rights and responsibilities when they are online, and how to make choices that help them and others have a positive online presence.

Your child will understand how to use the internet safely, protect their personal information, and interact respectfully with others online, including knowing when to ask for permission.

Your child will be able to find information from different sources, decide if it's trustworthy and accurate, and understand different points of view. They will then use this information to learn new things, create their own writing, and show what they've learned.

Your child will understand how different digital and media texts, like videos or websites, are put together and how they try to get a message across. They will also learn how these texts affect the people who see them, and use this knowledge when they look at or create their own media.

Your child will understand how the way a text is written, its message, and the situation it's used in are all connected to who it's for and why it was created.

Your child will be able to pick and use the right computer programs and media to help them design new and creative ways to solve real-world problems.

Your child will learn how to communicate and work with others online in a way that is safe, respectful, and responsible. This includes understanding and appreciating different cultures when interacting with people from various backgrounds.

Your child will understand how the reading, writing, and communication skills they are learning in language arts help them in other school subjects and in their daily life. They will also see how these skills improve their ability to understand and share information.

Your child will explore how different people and groups, including those in Canada, have lived and contributed to society throughout history. They will learn about identity, who they are, and how they fit in, by reading stories and texts that are meaningful to various cultures.

Your child will learn about the main ideas and messages found in the cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. This will help them understand the diverse ways these groups see themselves, interact with others, and pass on their knowledge and traditions.

Your child will learn to be a good listener in different situations, understanding when to ask helpful questions and how to respond thoughtfully to what others say in group talks.

Your child will learn to use different ways to listen well, both when people speak and when they communicate without words. This helps them understand information, ask questions if something isn't clear, and respond in a suitable way.

Your child will learn to understand why they are speaking and who their audience is, whether it's a formal situation like a presentation or an informal chat with friends. They'll also learn how to choose the best ways to speak clearly and in an organized way for different situations.

Your child will learn to use different ways of communicating, like facial expressions, gestures, and body language, and understand how these help people understand each other, noting that these methods can be different in various cultures.

Your child will be able to choose words carefully, using different adjectives (describing words) and adverbs (words that describe actions) to make their writing more interesting and clear. They will also learn to use different kinds of sentences and to write in a way that is easy for others to understand, whether they are speaking or writing.

Your child will be able to use their knowledge of word parts, like prefixes (beginnings of words), suffixes (endings of words), and bases (main parts of words), to read and spell longer words correctly and easily.

Your child will be able to understand and use new words in different situations, including in other school subjects. They will also learn to break down words into their parts (like prefixes and suffixes) to figure out what new words mean.

Your child will be able to read different kinds of texts smoothly, correctly, and at a good speed to understand what they are reading. When reading aloud, they will also adjust their voice and tone to match the reason for reading.

Your child will understand how to use different types of sentences, including complex sentences with descriptive phrases (clauses), to clearly share their thoughts and show how ideas are connected.

Your child will understand how different word types, like nouns that are gerunds (verbs acting as nouns, e.g., "swimming is fun"), work in sentences. They will also learn the difference between active voice (e.g., "the dog chased the ball") and passive voice (e.g., "the ball was chased by the dog") and be able to change sentences from one to the other, which helps them better understand what they read and write more clearly.

Your child will understand how to use capitalization and punctuation correctly to make their writing clear and easy to understand. This includes knowing when to use colons in letters or to show a new speaker in a script, and using commas after transition words like "however" or "therefore.

Your child will be able to understand different kinds of texts by using their knowledge of words, grammar, how sentences are put together, and what they already know about the topic.

Your child will be able to understand different types of writing, including stories, poems, and texts from various cultures, and explain how their unique features help get the message across.

Your child will learn to recognize common ways texts are organized, like when a text presents a problem and then its solution. They will also understand how text features, such as subheadings or menus, help people understand what they are reading, hearing, or watching.

Your child will be able to compare how pictures, graphs, and the way things are designed visually help create and share meaning in different types of texts.

Your child will learn to recognize different writing styles, like how an author uses their "voice" (their unique way of writing), word choices, repeated words or phrases, and sentence structure. They will also understand how these choices help create the story's meaning and fit the type of text they are reading.

Your child will be able to figure out who is telling a story (the narrator) and from what perspective (point of view), whether it's "I" (first person), "you" (second person), or "he/she/they" (third person). They will also understand how changing this perspective would change the story.

Your child will read, listen to, or watch different kinds of stories and information created by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. They will learn to understand these stories using a special way of interpreting Indigenous texts called Indigenous Storywork. This will help your child learn about the past, cultures, and experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.

Your child will learn to use what they already know from their own life and other school subjects to help them understand new books and stories.

Your child will be able to understand why people read different things, choose books or articles that fit what they want to learn or enjoy, and explain why those choices are good ones.

Your child will be able to make smart guesses about what they are reading by using what they already know and clues from the text. They will also learn to ask questions to see if their guesses were right, and if not, change their understanding of the story.

Your child will learn to use different strategies, like picturing what they're reading or asking questions, to make sure they understand what they're reading and to get more information if they need it.

Your child will be able to explain how the ideas in what they read connect to what they already know, their own life experiences, other books or stories, and the world around them.

Your child will be able to find the main idea and important details in different stories and articles, and use them to form their own conclusions.

Your child will be able to explain how different reading strategies, like picturing the story in their mind or making guesses about what will happen next, help them understand what they read. They will also set goals to become even better at understanding books and other texts.

Your child will be able to understand and explain how authors use special writing techniques, like hyperbole (exaggeration for effect) and idioms (phrases with a meaning different from their individual words), to make their stories more interesting and fit for who they are writing for.

Your child will be able to make educated guesses about what they are reading, both about things directly stated and things hinted at, to better understand the text and connect it to the wider world.

Your child will be able to understand different kinds of writing, like stories or factual articles, by finding the main points and supporting details, deciding if the information is good and useful for a certain reason, and then drawing conclusions.

Your child will be able to understand and explain the meaning of different cultural elements like values, traditions, buildings, art, and dance found in stories and other texts. They will connect these elements to their own life and culture, and share their ideas with others.

Your child will be able to explain both obvious (explicit) and hidden (implicit) messages in different stories and texts. They will also be able to identify if there's any unfairness or one-sidedness (bias) in these messages and suggest ways to avoid it.

Your child will be able to explain how different topics like diversity (the understanding that all people are unique and different), inclusion (making sure all people are included), and accessibility (making sure all people are able to access things) are shown in stories and articles. They will also be able to understand the main ideas or messages in these texts and recognize different viewpoints presented.

Your child will explore how stories written by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people are shaped by their history, culture, and social conditions. They will also learn how these stories connect to the experiences of people today.

Your child will compare the different ways they think critically about various texts, figure out which thinking skills helped them understand best, and explain why those skills were useful.

Your child will be able to figure out the main idea, goal, and who they are writing for when creating different kinds of texts. They will also understand how to choose the best way to write, like a story or a report, and the best way to share it, like on paper or online, so their message is clear to their audience.

Your child will be able to come up with and expand on ideas for their writing, including topics about fairness, different cultures, and including everyone. They will use different methods and resources, like their own experiences, to do this.

Your child will be able to find information from different texts about a topic, summarize it, and check if the sources are trustworthy. They will also learn to write down where they found the information and who created it.

Your child will be able to organize their thoughts and research using different strategies and tools. They will learn to pick out the most important information and arrange it in a way that makes sense for the type of writing they are doing, whether it's a story, a report, or something else.

Your child will be able to explain how different strategies and tools helped them come up with ideas and organize their writing, and how these tools helped them become a better writer.

Your child will be able to write different kinds of complex stories and reports, like narratives (which tell a story), expository texts (which explain something), and informational texts (which give facts), using various tools and methods.

Your child will be able to write in cursive (a style of writing where letters are connected) and type on a keyboard more quickly and accurately to make their writing better.

Your child will be able to write in their own unique style, using different words and writing techniques to share their thoughts and feelings about a topic. They will also learn to use a tone (the feeling or attitude in their writing) that fits the type of writing they are doing.

Your child will be able to understand that different people might see or understand things in different ways, and how their own writing might be understood differently by people with different ideas or backgrounds.

Your child will be able to improve their writing by making changes to what they've written, how they've written it, and how it's organized. They'll learn to add or remove sentences to make their ideas clearer and more focused, using different methods and considering advice from others.

Your child will be able to make their writing better by checking for mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and by making sure their writing style is clear and easy to understand. They will also learn to use computer programs to help them edit their work.

Your child will be able to create finished pieces of writing using different methods and tools, including computer programs, to make their writing have the effect they want it to have.

Your child will be able to share their writing in different ways, like through presentations or online posts, and understand how their choices in doing so helped them get their message across.

Your child will be able to compare how different strategies and tools helped them share their message when writing and presenting, and suggest ways to improve their writing in the future.