South Dakota ELA 6.RL.2.a
The Standard
- 6.RL.2
- Determine a theme or central idea(s) of a text.
Analyze its development over the course of the text.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify a story's theme and track how it develops from beginning to end. They explain how character choices and key events build that theme.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student states a theme as a message, not a single word like 'friendship.' They use an early and a late scene to explain how the story develops that message.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name the topic instead of the theme or retell the plot without explaining its meaning. Some use only the ending and miss how earlier events prepare for it.
How to Assess It
- After reading 'The Tortoise and the Hare,' ask: What is one theme? Explain how the hare's early boasting and final loss develop it.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs paper strips showing three moments from 'The Tortoise and the Hare'; have them order the strips and label how each builds the theme.
Ask students to write: How does the hare's nap change what the story says about effort? Use two details.
Make three scene cards and two theme cards for the fable; have pairs match scenes to a theme and defend their choices.
Have students write three text messages from someone preparing for a team tryout, then compare that person's choices with the hare's.
Free download
Printable 6.RL.2.a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 6.RL.2.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson