Virginia SOL 6.C.1.A.i

ELA6th GradeCommunication and Multimodal Literacies

The Standard

Listening actively through verbal and nonverbal communication and using agreed-upon discussion rules.

Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Communication, Listening, and Collaboration

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students listen closely, show attention through words and body language, and respond to what others say. They follow agreed rules for taking turns, disagreeing respectfully, and staying on topic.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students wait for appropriate turns, use attentive body language, and follow the group’s rules. They paraphrase a classmate’s point and add a relevant comment or question.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think active listening means staying quiet while planning their own response. They may interrupt, ignore agreed rules, or assume eye contact alone proves attention.
How to Assess It: Run a four-minute group discussion using the prompt, “Which character made the strongest choice, and why?” Check whether each student follows turn-taking rules, listens attentively, and responds to a classmate’s idea.

Lesson moves

Give each student three discussion tokens to place in the center after speaking, then require everyone to use all three without interrupting.
Ask students to write and discuss, “What actions show that someone is listening, even when that person does not speak?”
Play Paraphrase Relay, where each student must summarize the previous speaker’s idea before adding a new point.
Hold a mock student council meeting about improving lunch choices, with assigned roles, speaking limits, and a shared decision to reach.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 6.C.1.A.i, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.