What a 6th grader learns in math and reading

6th grade · the Common Core skills, in plain words · updated 2026-11-02

This is the whole list: 29 math skills and 14 reading skills a 6th grader is expected to learn, with the Common Core code next to each one. In math, 6th grade is mostly expressions and equations, the number system, statistics and probability. In reading, the weight is on language and literature.

Math: 6th grade

Ratios and proportions

• Ratio words 6.RP.A.1 — A ratio of 3 to 5 means 3 of one for every 5 of the other.
• Price for one 6.RP.A.2 — Divide the total by how many there are.
• Ratios and percents 6.RP.A.3 — How many times bigger is the new group? Grow the other part the same way.

The number system

• Dividing fractions 6.NS.A.1 — Flip the second one over. Then times them.
• Long division 6.NS.B.2 — Start at the front. How many times does it fit? Multiply back and take away.
• Decimal math 6.NS.B.3 — Line up the dots to add or take away. To divide, make the divisor a whole number first.
• GCF and LCM 6.NS.B.4 — GCF: the biggest number that divides both. LCM: the smallest number both go into.
• Minus numbers in life 6.NS.C.5 — Below zero, under the sea and money owed are minus.
• Points with minus 6.NS.C.6 — Left of 0 and down from 0 are minus. The opposite sits across 0.
• Order and absolute value 6.NS.C.7 — On a number line, further left is smaller. Absolute value is how far from 0.
• Distance on the grid 6.NS.C.8 — Same x or same y? Count along the line. Crossing 0 means add both distances.

Expressions and equations

• Powers of a number 6.EE.A.1 — The small number says how many times to multiply the big one by itself.
• Using x 6.EE.A.2 — Swap the letter for the number. Times first, then add.
• Spreading the times 6.EE.A.3 — 3(x + 4) means 3 times x and 3 times 4.
• Same expression 6.EE.A.4 — Two expressions are the same if they match for every value of the letter.
• Check the answer 6.EE.B.5 — Try the number in place of x. Do both sides match?
• Letters for numbers 6.EE.B.6 — The letter stands for the number you do not know yet.
• One-step equations 6.EE.B.7 — Do the opposite to both sides.
• Reading inequalities 6.EE.B.8 — x > 4 means any number bigger than 4, and there are many.
• Two changing numbers 6.EE.C.9 — Put the x you know into the rule to get y.

Geometry

• Area of shapes 6.G.A.1 — A triangle is half a rectangle. Base times height, then halve it.
• Volume with halves 6.G.A.2 — Length times width times height works for half units too.
• Shapes on the grid 6.G.A.3 — Points with the same y sit on one line across. Take away to get the length.
• Surface area 6.G.A.4 — Unfold the box in your head: six faces, in equal pairs. Add them all.

Statistics and probability

• Statistical questions 6.SP.A.1 — A statistical question expects many different answers, not one.
• Center and spread 6.SP.A.2 — The center is the middle of the dots. The spread is from the least to the most.
• Center or spread 6.SP.A.3 — Center is one typical number. Spread is how far the data reaches.
• Box plots and histograms 6.SP.B.4 — A histogram stacks counts in bins. A box plot marks the middle half.
• Mean and median 6.SP.B.5 — Mean: add them all and divide. Median: put them in order and take the middle.

Reading: 6th grade

Language

• Pronoun case L.6.1a — Subject: I, he, she, they. Object: me, him, her, them.
• Intensive pronouns L.6.1b — myself, himself, themselves add emphasis: I did it myself.
• Clear pronouns L.6.1d — Every pronoun needs one clear noun it points to.
• Commas, dashes, parentheses L.6.2a — Extra information can be set off with commas, dashes or parentheses.
• Context clues L.6.4a — Look for a definition, an example or a contrast nearby.
• Greek and Latin roots L.6.4b — Break the word into root and affixes.
• Figures of speech L.6.5a — Personification gives human traits to things. Hyperbole exaggerates.
• Word connotations L.6.5c — Two words can mean the same thing but feel different: thrifty and cheap.

Literature

• Theme development RL.6.2 — How does the theme show up through the events?
• Plot and character change RL.6.3 — How does the character change from beginning to end?
• Narrator's point of view RL.6.6 — How does the author show what the narrator thinks and feels?

Informational text

• Central idea RI.6.2 — What idea do all the details build toward?
• Claims and evidence RI.6.8 — A claim is what the writer argues. Evidence is the proof.
• How a part fits RI.6.5 — What does this sentence or paragraph do for the whole text?

Reading practice includes 30 short texts at this level, among them 6 science and 6 history passages, with questions that check understanding.

How Teach Me uses this list

The check asks a few questions from this grade and the ones around it to find where your child really is, which is often not the grade on the door. Each day's set then comes from the skills they have not got yet. A skill counts as known when they get it right on their own, more than once. Parents see which skills are open and which are solid, and can point the practice at any topic above.

Teach Me is free. It follows the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts; high school math follows California's traditional pathway (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus).

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