Grade 6: List 5

Vocabulary is key to performing well on Common Core-aligned tests for English Language Arts as well as for building literacy in social studies, science, and technical subjects. This collection features common tier-2 words that are taught and tested in Grade 6. These words are used in a variety of contexts, exhibit different shades of meaning based on those contexts, and appear commonly in classroom instruction and on standardized assessments.

Here are links to our lists for the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8
23 words 227 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. narrative
    an account that tells the particulars of an act or event
    He then created narratives about immigrants building their lives in New York City.New York Times (Jun 15, 2022)
  2. narrator
    someone who tells a story
    He speaks for almost two minutes as the story’s narrator.Spooked!
  3. observation
    the act of noticing or paying attention
    What other observations do you have about his character?Salon (Jul 7, 2022)
  4. paraphrase
    express the same message in different words
    The italicized language in the description of the referenced exchange is paraphrased, not directly quoted.Educated
  5. phrase
    an expression consisting of one or more words
    I turn the pages of Jason’s communication book, reading through his cards so I don’t repeat the words or phrases he already has.Rules
  6. plagiarism
    taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own
    “The way you avoid plagiarism isn’t to ‘change the language’ but to never have that language in your original work in the first place,” he wrote.New York Times (May 10, 2022)
  7. plagiarize
    take without referencing from someone's writing or speech
    It was heavily plagiarized from a work written thirty years earlier by the Oneida Community’s founder.Ambushed!
  8. plot
    the story that is told, as in a novel, play, movie, etc.
    He describes the plot without giving too many details.I Can Make This Promise
  9. viewpoint
    a mental position from which things are considered
    “And this time I want you to come ready to speak up. I think your viewpoint is going to be particularly valuable.”The Benefits of Being an Octopus
  10. write
    produce a literary work
    Miss K suggested he could go to the library, look up facts about mice, and write an essay about them.Ralph S. Mouse
  11. precise
    characterized by perfect conformity to fact or truth
    The language is simple, clear and precise, making it easy for children to understand all the various ways they could take part in making a great exhibition.New York Times (Nov 12, 2021)
  12. language
    a means of communicating by the use of sounds or symbols
    The language is simple, clear and precise, making it easy for children to understand all the various ways they could take part in making a great exhibition. The New York Times (Nov 12, 2021)
  13. presentation
    a show or display
    Ms. Washington let me turn the classroom into a pretend baseball field for my oral presentation on a famous inventor.A High Five for Glenn Burke
  14. punctuate
    insert marks to clarify meaning
    “Of course I punctuate my text messages, I did A-level English,” one young man explained, with a look of scorn.Eats, Shoots & Leaves
  15. punctuation
    marks clarifying meaning by indicating separation of words
    The semicolon is one of the most useful but least used punctuation marks.Woe Is I
  16. purpose
    an anticipated outcome that guides your planned actions
    If that sounds surprising, given her passionate Jewish identity and family history with the Holocaust, know that the whole purpose of this book is to explore and explain it.Washington Post (Aug 27, 2021)
  17. speaker
    the narrative voice of a poem (as distinct from the poet)
    "I was a poet in hiding and as a result wrote poems with a speaker always in hiding," she says of the poems written before 2006, when she became a legal permanent resident.Los Angeles Times (May 5, 2016)
  18. quote
    repeat a passage from
    And he quoted the passage and pointed out the error.Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
  19. quotation
    a passage or expression that is cited
    All quotations were either from the Bible or Shakespeare.The Westing Game
  20. reference
    a book from which you can seek authoritative facts
    It's a reference book given to me by my sister Amy, and it's full of useful information.Me Talk Pretty One Day
  21. identify
    recognize as being
    The goal of a leitmotif is to help the listener identify a main character or theme in the story.Music and the Child
  22. relevant
    having a bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
    It was an interesting question, but not relevant to the matter at hand.Six of Crows
  23. represent
    express indirectly by an image, form, or model
    His blue truck lights meant he represented the Cowboys.Everything Sad Is Untrue
Created on July 19, 2022 (updated August 30, 2022)

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