Delaware Grade 6 English

Make clear who owns an object in a sentence

A sentence can be grammatically familiar yet leave the reader unsure who a pronoun identifies. Revising that uncertainty begins with deciding the intended meaning. The example here shows why replacing a pronoun is sometimes more helpful than adding more description.

Curriculum source: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy, adopted for Delaware English language arts in 2010, from the Delaware Department of Education ELA resource directory.

Delaware Grade 6 references for this activity

Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards use the Common Core State Standards. The full ELA document contains the Grade 6 expectations across its subject strands. These are selected references for the activity on this page; use the full document for curriculum planning.

These are selected CCSS references used in Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards. Activity labels describe a teaching focus rather than reproduce the full requirements. Districts develop their own curriculum sequence; use the complete document and the school’s plan for wider coverage.

A worked Grade 6 reading and writing activity

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

At the door, Lena handed Mira her notebook. Mira thanked Lena and opened the first page.

Try the activity

Explain why her in the first sentence leaves notebook ownership unclear. Write two revisions: one making the notebook Lena’s, and another making it Mira’s. Then choose one meaning for your own continuation and keep it consistent.

Follow the reasoning

Both Lena and Mira could be the person identified by her. The second sentence tells us who opens the notebook but does not settle who owns it. To choose Lena as owner, write, “At the door, Lena handed Mira the notebook that belonged to Lena.” To choose Mira, write, “At the door, Lena returned Mira’s notebook.” The second revision also introduces the idea of returning it, so use that wording only if it matches the intended story. A narrower revision is simply “Lena handed Mira Mira’s notebook.”

Notice what needs more practice

A student may select Lena solely because that name appears first. Position alone does not remove the uncertainty in this sentence. Another response may add “blue notebook” but leave her unchanged; color makes the object more specific without clarifying its owner. A strong revision answers the actual reader question. Repeating a name can be useful while drafting; afterward, consider a smoother sentence that preserves the chosen meaning.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Locate the pronoun and list its plausible referents.
2. State the intended meaning before editing.
3. Replace or restructure the unclear reference.
4. Read the next sentence to check that the revision remains consistent.

Draft a continuation in which the owner explains what the notebook contains. Ask a partner to identify the owner without extra hints. Then check a longer paragraph for it, they, this, or that when several ideas or people appear nearby. Do not replace every pronoun with a noun; pronouns help writing when their reference is clear. Revise the ones that make a reader guess, and explain what uncertainty each change resolves.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 6 English Online Center.

Delaware Grade 6 English: useful planning questions

Will adding an adjective fix an unclear pronoun?

Only if it resolves the actual uncertainty. A color may identify an object more precisely while still leaving its owner unclear. Revise the reference or sentence structure to clarify the intended meaning.

Where are the complete state requirements?

Delaware’s ELA/literacy standards use the Common Core State Standards. The full ELA document contains the Grade 6 expectations across its subject strands. These are selected references for the activity on this page; use the full document for curriculum planning. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.