CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.3

ELA6th GradeKnowledge of Language

The Standard

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Language Standards

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students choose words, sentence patterns, and conventions that fit the purpose and audience. They adjust style and tone when writing or speaking, then explain how language choices shape meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can revise repetitive sentences, keep tone consistent, and switch between formal and informal language when the situation changes. The student can identify a specific language choice and explain its effect.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think one style is correct for every audience, or that formal writing always means longer words. They may shift tone without noticing or vary sentences by adding unnecessary words.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Rewrite “The cafeteria food was kinda gross, so fix it” for an email to the principal. Underline one change and explain why it fits the audience.

Lesson moves

Give pairs sentence strips from a choppy paragraph; have them rearrange and combine strips, then compare how each version sounds.
Ask students to write the same request to a friend, a teacher, and the principal, then discuss the language changes.
Play Audience Switch: call out an audience and have teams revise one sentence to match, earning points for clear, fitting choices.
Compare a school announcement, a text message, and a news report; students mark words and sentence patterns suited to each audience.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.3, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Learning progression

See the whole path on the Language progression map.

If students are struggling here, check these first.

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

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