Unit Materials for 6th Grade English
Explore the texts and supporting materials used in each unit of 6th Grade English.
Need to purchase texts for this course?
Download the text list for the 2026–27 school year, which includes ISBNs and guidance on ordering quantities.
Fishtank Learning partners with two text vendors who offer convenient ordering options for a school or district adoption: The Reading Warehouse and Mackin. You can request an introduction to the appropriate representative by emailing [email protected].
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Core Texts
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Book: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Yearling, 1997) — 920L
Supporting Texts
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Poem: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
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Video: “President John F. Kennedy's Civil Rights Address” by C-SPAN (YouTube)
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Transcript: “Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights” by John F. Kennedy
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Photo: At Segregated Drinking Fountain, Mobile, Alabama by Gordon Parks (the High Museum of Art)
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Photo: Department Store, Mobile, Alabama by Gordon Parks (the High Museum of Art)
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Photo: Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama by Gordon Parks (the High Museum of Art)
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Photo: Segregated Birmingham Streetcar by Birmingham Public Library Archives (The Encyclopedia of Alabama)
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Poem: “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall
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Book: White Water by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein; illustrated by Shadra Stickland (Candlewick)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
The Giver
Core Texts
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Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry (Clarion Books) — 760L
Supporting Texts
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Article: “Dark Futures: The Power and Purpose of Dystopian Fiction” by Caitlyn Meagher
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Article: “Stories That Challenge Us: Understanding Book Bans” by Caitlyn Meagher
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Article: “A Florida school district banned 'Ban This Book.' Author says that's 'erasure of the highest order' and wants it reinstated” by Chandelis Duster (CNN)
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Article: “The Heavy Cost of Banning Books About Black Children” by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman
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Article: “Banning Books Isn't Just Morally Wrong. It's Also Unhealthy” by Dr. Sayantani DasGupta
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Article: “What role are parents playing in the rise of book bans?” by Cody Mello-Klein
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Women in the Arts
Core Texts
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Book: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland (Touchstone, 2014)
Supporting Texts
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Article: “The Guerrilla Girls: 'We upend the art world's notion of what's good and what's right'” by Nadja Sayej (The Guardian)
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Video: “Guerrilla Girls – 'You Have to Question What You See' | Artist Interview” by Tate Museum (YouTube)
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Article: “Favianna Rodríguez: 'Artists are Risk Takers and Truth Speakers'” by Firuzeh Shokooh Valle (Global Voices)
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Video: “Printmaking with Favianna Rodriguez” (PBS (2014))
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Article: “The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn't Have” by Concepción de León (The New York Times)
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Poem: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
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Website: Ruth Asawa
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Article: “How Did Maria Tallchief Become America's First Prima Ballerina?” by Quill.org
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Article: “Misty Copeland Launches Her Own Foundation and Free After-School Program” by Ashley Brandt (Pointe Magazine)
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Video: “Misty Copeland's new foundation focuses on diversity, equity in dance” by Fox 5 New York (YouTube)
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Article: “The Enduring Legacy of Ruth Asawa's Mesmerizing Sculptures” by Daria Simone Harper (Artsy)
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Video: “Ruth Asawa: Objects & Apparitions” by Christie's (YouTube)
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Article: “Beyond the Canvas: Identity and Justice in Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s Art” by Caitlyn Meagher
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Video: “What's in a map? Reading the United 'States'” by Smarthistory (YouTube)
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Video: “Meet Jaune Quick-To-See Smith” by Smithsonian American Art Museum (YouTube)
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Painting: State Names (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
The Outsiders
Core Texts
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Book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Speak, 2006) — 750L
Supporting Texts
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Article: “Teen-Agers Are for Real” by Susan Hinton (The New York Times)
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Video: “Typical Teenagers Talk About Teenage Life In 1966” by Global Image Works (YouTube)
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Article: “Are You Following the Herd?” by Holly Corbett (Scholastic Choices)
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lnfographic: Teens and Peer Pressure by Fishtank Staff
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Film: The Outsiders by Francis Ford Coppola (director)
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Poem: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost
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Poem: “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Refugee & The Unwanted
Core Texts
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Book: Refugee by Alan Gratz (Scholastic, Inc., 2017) — 800L
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Book: The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018)
Supporting Texts
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Article: “What Is a Refugee?” by Abbas Hasan (ReadWorks)
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Poem: “Refugees” by Brian Bilston
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Video: “Refugees: The Shared Story of Harry and Ahmed” by UNICEF USA (YouTube)
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Cartoon: “Flooding In” by Osama Hajjaj
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Podcast: “Let refugees lead” by Obi Anyadike (Host) (The New Humanitarian)
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Transcript: “Let refugees lead” by Obi Anyadike (Host) (The New Humanitarian)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
