Storytown: Grade 6
Book: Dive Right In
Theme 1: Personal Triumphs
Lesson
Focus Skill/
Genre/ comprehension strategies
Theme 1
Lesson 1
plot & setting
realistic fiction
use story structure
Story Titles:
Intro/Vocab Story
Main Story
Connecting Story
Cougars Win, Eggs Lose
Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America
Are You Laughing at Me?
Author, Illustrator, photographer…//
Themes
Gordon Korman
Steve Adams
Susan B. Anthony, softball, car trouble, cherries, cows
short/variant vawels: absences, against, album, circuit, bronze, chess, biscuit, depth, cabinet, drenched, glimpse, nozzle, feather, plastic, publish, pulse, rapid, snack, solve, system
ricocheted, hysterical, crestfallen, ecstatic, incapacitated, lamented, mirth, perishable
Theme 1
Lesson 2
Theme 1
Lesson 3
Theme 1
Lesson 4
plot & setting
historical fiction
use story structure
Whale Watching
The Color of My Words
Words Free as Confetti (poem)
Lynn Joseph
Joe Cepeda
whales, ocean, sea otters, poison oak, Dominican Republic, writer, restaurant,
tree, queen, treasure, ocean
long/variant digraphs: sneeze, arcade, vacuum, breathe, belief, proclaim, entertain, quaint, aglow, saying, essay, tomorrow, coffee, stride, easel, approach, globe, polite, duty, grief
meandering, emerged, survey, frolicked, hovered, tormented, inquire, subtle
text structure: chronological order
Airships
Elizabeth MacLeod
biography
The Wright Brothers: A Flying Start
Paris, hot-air balloons, Brazil, blimp, bones, circus, printing, cycling, typhoid
use graphic organizers
From Inspiration to Invention
fever, candle, shovel
variant v/diphthongs: authentic, launch, boycott, turquoise, withdrawn, awkward, faulty, applaud, jigsaw, curfew, pound, awesome, corduroy, shrewd, soothing, booklet, drowsy, moisture, flaunt, enough
astounding, disbanded, stabilize, exerts, rigged, replica, schemes
text structure: chronological order
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Kathleen Krull
biography
Wilma Unlimited
David Diaz
use graphic organizers
The World’s Fastest
track-and-field, Olympics, Wilma Rudolph, polio, basketball, Rome, StarSpangled Banner, gold medal,
cheetah, falcon, moth, sailfish
-ed, -ing: decorating, applying, delaying, employed, studying, supposed, exciting, married, envied, studied, frightened, panicked, relayed, preparing, replied, invited, multiplied, planning, lying, served
intense, fumble, luxury, astonishment, propel, triumphant, lunged, remedies
Theme 1
Lesson 5
Theme Review:
Fluency:
accuracy
reading rate
Comprehension:
RT (Reader’s Theater): Show Time
Drawing Horses
drama, jaguar, actor, interview, horses, artist
variant vowel & diphthongs: circuit, against, cabinet, feather, system, sneeze, proclaim, grief, approach, arcade, aglow, breathe, pound, applaud, turquoise, awkward, delaying, employed, replied,
preparing
intimidating, calamity, invaluable, quandary, composure, hindrance, steadfast, surpassed, sage, trepidation
POB 032015
Storytown: Grade 6
Book: Dive Right In Theme 2: Joining Forces
Lesson
Focus Skill/
Genre/ comprehension strategies
Theme 2
Lesson 6
Plot & Characters
realistic fiction
reread for comprehension
Story Titles:
Intro/Vocab Story
Main Story
Connecting Story
A Mixed-Up Dance
Befiddled
Focus
Flying Solo
Author, Illustrator, photographer…//
Themes
Pedro de Alcantara
Susan Farrington
cello, violin, dance, blender, vase, harmonica, sea lion, Star-Spangled
Banner, Beethoven, butterflies, electricity
-le: nestle, mangle, feeble, crinkle, wobble, frazzle, obstacle, tickle, hustle, bridle, jumble, kindle, dwindle, swindle, assemble, mantle, brittle, freckle, muzzle, cuticle
jest, supple, immobile, sinuous, intonation, fused, haywire
Theme 2
Lesson 7
Plot & Characters
realistic fiction
reread for comprehension
The Society of Rollers
S.O.R. Losers
Get in Gear with Safety
Avi
Aaron Jasinski
Boules, soccer, math, helmets, safety
VCCV, VCCCV: pattern, associate, exhale, bulletin, collapse, complaint, instance, dessert, difficulty, franchise, emphasize, exclude, disturb, mammoth, necessary, impact, splendid, stampede,
survival, wander
ordinary, suit, treason, convince, rejected, disown, defeatist
Theme 2
Lesson 8
main ideas/details
narrative nonfiction
summarize
Race to the South Pole
The Great Serum Race
Blazing Trails
Debbie S. Miller
Jon Van Zyle
Iditarod, Alaska, diphtheria, telegraph, train, sled dog, blind, vision, race
VCV: report, climate, crusade, ego, retail, future, robot, humane, tiger, laser, lemon, limit, major, minor, panel, sequel, valid, veto, vital
plea, intercept, rendezvous, seeped, diagnosed, lethal, devoured
Theme 2
Lesson 9
main ideas/details
expository nonfiction
summarize
Wilderness Rescue
Smokejumpers
Incredible Rescues
Elaine Landau
Colorado, hike, mountain, smokejumpers. wildfire, parachutes, helmet,
aircraft, swift water rescues, rope rescues, cane and mine, water
easily confused: accept, adapt, adopt, affect, allusion, complement, compliment, device, devise, effect, except, formally, formerly, illusion, incite, insight, principal, principle, precede, proceed
extent, hampered, altitude, equipped, reserve, rely, overshadow
Theme 2
Lesson 10
Theme Review:
Fluency:
intonation
pace
Comprehension:
reread
summarize
RT: The Case of the Filched Feast Funds
Why Do Cliff Swallows Live Together?
newspaper, Thanksgiving, money, Bahamas, detective, swallows, Nebraska,
parasite
-le & review: mangle, tickle, bridle, swindle, muzzle, bulletin, difficulty, exclude, survival, franchise, ego, linen, minor, veto, vital, complement, compliment, formally, formerly, precede
concede, confidential, justification, unearthed, alibi, culprit, confront, scandal, sheepishly, vying
POB 032015
Storytown: Grade 6
Book: Dive Right In
Theme 3: A Changing Planet
Lesson
Focus Skill/
Genre/ comprehension strategies
Theme 3
Lesson 11
figurative Language
(simile, metaphor, personification)
expository nonfiction
adjust reading rate
Story Titles:
Intro/Vocab Story
Main Story
Connecting Story
Emperors of the South
Life Under Ice
Life on the Edge
Author, Illustrator, photographer…//
Themes
Mary M Cerullo
Bill Curtsinger
penguins, Antarctica, icebergs, glaciers, desert, seal, phytoplankton, bends,
scuba diving, starfish, sea anemone, sponges…
-able, -ible: noticeable, passable, convertible, wearable, avoidable, capable, profitable, applicable, accessible, breakable, destructible, excitable, invincible, sensible, edible, comprehensible,
credible, returnable, permissible, reproducible
bearable, illuminates, refuge, phenomenon, abundant, thrive
Theme 3
Lesson 12
figurative Language
(simile, metaphor, personification)
short stories
adjust reading rate
Bird’s Eye View
The Long Bike Ride
Embroidery
Washed Away: A Double Haiku
Melina Brown
Alex Bostic
Vermont, peregrine falcon, California
-ous, -ious, -eous: poisonous, glamorous, joyous, adventurous, courageous, disastrous, generous, miraculous, studious, hilarious, envious, industrious, infectious, mysterious, suspicious, advantageous,
gorgeous, nutritious, nauseous, outrageous
wedged, ideal, perched, pelting, stranded, blurted, slunk
Theme 3
Lesson 13
theme
realistic fiction
answer questions
A Survivor Remembers
Escaping the Giant Wave
A World in Motion
Peg Kehret
John Sandford
earthquake, San Francisco, fire, tsunami, Oregon, cedars, dog, waves,
continental drift, plate tectonics
/en/ /el/: actual, beckon, burden, captain, comparison, example, foreign, people, informal, label, medal, peddle, personal, pigeon, several, special, sudden, natural, veteran, usual
premonition, disoriented, imperative, haphazardly, remorse, receded, optimistic
Theme 3
Lesson 14
Theme 3
Lesson 15
theme
realistic fiction
answer questions
Strange Pets
Brian’s Winter
Find Your Way Anywhere
Gary Paulsen
Raul Colon
ferret, potbellied pig, fennec fox, winter, wilderness, Canada, skunk, bow &
arrow
/er/: beggar, burglar, cedar, computer, consumer, error, calendar, grammar, hanger, lumber, monitor, partner, pillar, prisoner, rumor, trader, traitor, vapor, vinegar, whimper
acquaintance, rank, gingerly, winced, cocky, stymied, terminal, retrieve
Theme Review:
RT: On Turtle Backs: A Native American
ocean, water, clouds, dolphins, turtle, intertidal zones, mussels, barnacles,
Fluency:
Legend
plankton
phrasing
What Lives in the Ocean
expression
Comprehension:
adjust reading rate
answering questions
convertible, breakable, sensible, permissible, profitable, glamorous, infectious, advantageous, gorgeous, joyous, beckon, example, foreign, informal, sudden, consumer, monitor, rumor, vinegar, whimper
communal, dissatisfied, demands, apparent, indebted, bliss, stationary, arduous, prudent, entwined
POB 032015
Storytown: Grade 6
Book: Dive Right In
Theme 4: Unique Perspectives
Lesson
Focus Skill/
Genre/ comprehension strategies
Story Titles
Intro. Story
Main Story
Connecting Story
Author, Illustrator, photographer…
Themes
Theme 4
point of view
biography/autobiography
ask questions
Clocks
The Man Who Made Time Travel
Calder
Kathryn Lasky
Kevin Hawkes
inventors, clocks, 18th century, sailors, John Harrison, Newton,
astronomy, King Gearge III, sundial, sculpture
Lesson 16
Spanish/French: adobe, barbecue, barracuda, embargo, mosquito, patio, rodeo, sombrero, tornado, cargo, ballet, beret, bouquet, campaign, cassette, croissant, envelope, plateau, sergeant, depot
precise, regulates, compensate, perfectionist, meticulously, counteracted, trial, petition
Theme 4
Lesson 17
point of view
realistic fiction
ask questions
Treasure or Trash?
Maniac Magee
Ode to Pablo’s Tennis Shoes
Jerry Spinelli
David Gordon
treasure, pizza, knots, competition, tennis shoes, football, TV,
sleep
prefixes: inability, inaccessible, inadequate, inadmissible, inappropriate, inattentive, impress, inaudible, indigestion, irrational, insecure, irresponsible, immobile, immovable, impartial, impassive, ineffective, illogical,
illuminate, improper
foresight, publicize, distraction, testimony, contortions, faint, grimy
Theme 4
Lesson 18
Theme 4
Lesson 19
Theme 4
Lesson 20
make judgments
expository nonfiction
self-correct
Our Solar System
The Kid Who Named Pluto
How Athens Was Named
Marc McCutcheon
Joe Cannell
Mars, Solar System, Copernicus, names, mythology, Poseidon,
Athena
-ant, -ent, -ist: compliant, contestant, immigrant, informant, inhabitant, significant, irritant, observant, resident, panelist, participant, scientist, biologist, columnist, medalist, cartoonist,
efficient, pollutant, obedient, confident
beacon, marvel, enthralled, persisted, objections, disturbances, clamor, coincidentally
Puppy Love
make judgments
Joan Marie Arbogast
Buildings in Disguise
expository nonfiction
diner. hotdogs, New Jersey, elephants, Long Island, duck,
Statue of Liberty
self-correct
storybook parks, Dutch Wonderland, Haines Shoe House, fish,
dinosaur, coffee pot, Statue of Liberty
over-, under-, sub-: overbearing, overcast, overconfident, overdevelop, overdraft, overhang, overindulge, overlay, overpower, undercarriage, underdone, underestimate, underrated,
undertake, underwent, submerge, substandard, underground, subcontract, subtitle
eager, beloved, humongous, abandoned, neglected, demolished, severe
RT: Let’s Fly a Kite
Theme Review:
Smithsonian, cherry blossoms, kites, China, Malaysia, Ben Franklin,
Letters to Young Poets
Fluency:
peanut butter, potato chips
intonation
pace
Comprehension:
ask questions
self-correct mistakes
Review: adobe, mosquito, tornado, bouquet, envelope, inability, irrational, immobile, illuminate, indigestion, informant, significant, participant, medalist, columnist, overdraft, overdevelop,
underwent, submerge, subtitle
aficionados, brainchild, astute, conventional, utilitarian, wage, commemorate, traction, unison, avid
POB 032015
Storytown: Grade 6
Book: Dive Right In
Theme 5: Ancient Wisdom
Lesson
Focus Skill/
Genre/ comprehension strategies
Theme 5
compare & contrast
Lesson 21
expository nonfiction
use graphic organizers
Story Titles
Intro. Story
Main Story
Connecting Story
Athena and Arachne
Ancient Greece
A Time to Dance
Author, Illustrator, photographer…
Themes
Kim Covert
Athena, Arachne, Greece, mythology, weaving, Olympics, chariot races,
architecture, art, pottery, astronomy, inventor, mathematicians, Hippocrates,
Herodotus, Aesop, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, democracy, cricket, food
Greek/Latin: pedal, peddler, pedestrian, pedestal, dental, dentist, dentures, vocalize, manual, manuscript, manipulate, manufacture, vocalist, memoir, memorial, tripod, podium, memorable, maneuver
logic, promote, pursuit, ethics, banned, influenced, modern, urges
Theme 5
Lesson 22
compare & contrast
expository nonfiction
use graphic organizers
Perfectly Preserved
The Emperor’s Silent Army
A Hidden City in the Andes
Jane O’Connor
Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii, terracotta warriors, ancient China, conquerors, Machu
Picchu, Incas, Andes
Greek/Latin: biology, biography, biome, democracy, epidemic, demonstrate, geology, geography, geometry, archaic, microwave, psychology, archaeology, microscopic, political, metropolis, police,
cosmopolitan, policy, politicia
precede, lustrous, trespass, strategically, prolong, resigned, temperaments, restored
Theme 5
Lesson 23
literary devices
legends
read ahead
In All Fairness
The Sons of the Dragon King
Fire, Water, Truth and Falsehood
Ed Young
potatoes, family, musical instruments, prison guards, chef, bridges, swimming,
weapons, incense, religious ceremonies, sentries, Northeast Africa, Ethiopia,
truth
Greek/Latin: polygon, monopoly, century, centimeter, quadruple, centennial, centipede, tricycle, triangle, diameter, dialogue, diagram, diagonal, biannual, bicoastal, bifocals, monochromatic, monarch,
monologue, monotone
savory, vigilantly, disposition, tolerated, revered, unsettling, befitting, dispute
Theme 5
Lesson 24
literary devices
expository nonfiction
read ahead
Interview with an Anthropologist
Secrets of the Sphinx
Advertisements from the Egyptian News
Bagram Ibatoulline
James Cross Giblin
Egypt, Nile, Great Sphinx, pyramids
suffix: accusation, adaptation, animation, application, conversation, dehydration, destination, preparation, specialization, variation, definition, rejection, ignition, opposition, recognition, observation,
emotion, duplication, celebration, transportation
flourishing, fertile, primitive, immortalized, intact, descendants, reinforces, rituals
Theme 5
Lesson 25
Theme Review:
Fluency:
accuracy
phrasing
Comprehension:
RT: Say Sphinx!
The Nile Valley
Egypt, Nile, camel, sailing, Mediterranean Sea, sugarcane, hippos, crocs, frogs,
sphinx, pharaoh, Ramses, delta, waterfalls, Sahara
use graphic organizers
read ahead
Review: pedal, dentures, manuscript, memorial, tripod, memorable, biology, democracy, geography, archaeology, cosmopolitan, century, tricycle, diagram, bifocals, monotone, conversation, rejection,
celebration, definition
overwhelmingly, ornery, aggravated, sophisticated, imposing, notable, prosperous, unassuming, conspicuous, pillaged
POB 032015
Storytown: Grade 6
Book: Dive Right In
Theme 6: The Outer Limits
Lesson
Focus Skill/
Genre/ comprehension strategies
Theme 6
draw and evaluate conclusions
Lesson 26
expository nonfiction
summarize
Story Titles
Intro. Story
Main Story
Connecting Story
Comet Crash!
Next Stop Neptune
What Goes Up Doesn’t Always Come Down
Author, Illustrator, photographer…
Themes
Alvin Jenkins
Steve Jenkins
comets, Neptune, Solar System, planets, orbital debris
pre/root/suffix & root/root: postponement, misinformation, uncertainly, improvement, indestructible, uncomfortable, unbeatable, unexpectedly, reexamination, unmistakable, telescope,
thermometer, microscope, mischievous, prescription, telephone, octopus, process, transport, aquatic
mottled, barren, impact, scale, prominent, chasm, warped, distinctive
Theme 6
Lesson 27
draw and evaluate conclusions
expository nonfiction
summarize
Dive Guide
The Incredible Quest to Find the Titanic
High-Tech Treasure Hunt
Brad Matsen
scuba diving, Titanic, luxury liners, England, New York,
France, Ireland, icebergs, robot, GPS
silent letters: aisle, align, rhythm, crumbs, fasten, glistened, knotty, knuckle, often, plumber, reign, bustle, shepherd, soften, sword, thistle, knock, wrestle, wrinkled, yolk
lavish, dreaded, ascent, doomed, murky, remains
Theme 6
Lesson 28
characterization
science fiction
answer questions
Androids Revolt
Eager
Zoo
Helen Fox
Marcos Chin
space travel, android. robots, baby, machines, zoo
related: ability, able, decompose, decomposition, familiar, family, muscle, muscular, meter, metric, precise, precision, relate, relative, commerce, commercial, similar, similarity, offense,
offensive
qualm, endanger, contrary, contentedly, contemplate, torrent, intolerant, officious
Theme 6
Lesson 29
characterization
play
answer questions
Adventure Calls
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Road Not Taken
Norton Juster
Melisande Potter
TV, clocks, time, travel to unknown lands, woods, roads
unusual plurals: allergies, data, bacteria, yourselves, potatoes, pianos, loaves, canoes, thieves, scarves, chiefs, lenses, quizzes, heroes, oxen batteries, mosquitoes, spacecraft, crises,
vetoes
doldrums, dejectedly, misapprehension, banished, imposter, strenuous, linger, abide
Theme 6
Lesson 30
Theme Review:
Fluency:
rate
expression
Comprehension:
summarize
answer questions
RT: Into the Deep
Earth Songs
Guam, Pacific Ocean, Challenger Deep, Trieste, ocean floor, sonar,
Earth, continents, volcanoes, mountains, water, tundra, lowlands,
deserts
Review: postponement, uncertainly, unexpectedly, microscope, aquatic, rhythm, plumber, reign, soften, wrinkled, muscle, muscular, precise, precision, offense, offensive, pianos, canoes,
chiefs, oxen
entrust, critical, understatement, emanates, erratic, elusive, unprecedented, cacophony, implode, acute
POB 032015