Free teaching resource

Reading Skills Check and Next Steps

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Audience / fit: Grade 6 ELA
Teaching or planning target: Three low-stakes checks for evidence, inference, and summary, with response-linked follow-up ideas.
Essential prerequisites: Use a check only for a reading skill already taught: relevant evidence, supported inference or main-point summary. Teach that move first when needed.
Preparation: About 8 minutes.
Use time: About 18 minutes. Planning estimate of about six minutes per check when all three are used; each check may also be used separately.
Materials: One selected student check, pencil or an established response method, and the separate complete teacher guide.
What to print: Use the stage-specific student choices below and the matching teacher guide. Give independent, new-evidence and later-assessment pages only at their intended stage.

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Read the teacher guide and answers · PDF (6 pages)

Choose one check for the intended reading target. Give only that page and its matching directions. These checks are separate tasks, not a three-skill score or an interchangeable later assessment.

Editable Word, browser copies and other files

Print and adapt for your own planning and classroom use; printed copies may be shared within your classroom or school team, provided the source is not sold. Keep attribution and resource-specific notices. For redistribution and third-party materials, read the Terms of Use. Recommend this resource using its page link.

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Use three short Grade 6 reading checks for text evidence, inference and summary. Each includes a passage, a response task and ideas for focused follow-up practice. Choose a skill students have already been taught and use their response to plan the next lesson.

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Who it is for: Grade 6 ELA
Preparation: About 8 minutes.
Teaching time: About 18 minutes. Planning estimate of about six minutes per check when all three are used; each check may also be used separately.
Teacher guidance: Separate teacher files include completed examples or answer and scoring guidance.

Materials

One learner copy of the selected check or checks.
A pencil or a response method already available in the classroom.

Need the passage and teaching move for a full follow-up? See the Grade 6 reading check, reteach, and recheck pilot.

Choose a stage and format

Give only the stage being used. Keep later tasks and all teacher keys with the teacher until needed.

Formats and all files

Complete reference files may include teaching, independent tasks, later evidence or teacher answers. Keep them with the teacher; use the separate stage selections above for handouts.

Read or download the complete resource

Keep teacher guidance and answers separate from student copies. Word files contain editable text; the PDF files are ready to print.

Previous classroom editions

Reading Skills Check and Next Steps — teacher: Read in browser (previous edition) · Editable Word (previous edition) · PDF (previous edition)

Previous teacher-reference editions

Reading Skills Check and Next Steps — teacher guide: Browser · Editable Word · PDF

Support and adaptation

Barrier: handwriting or transcription can obscure what the learner understood. Support: allow marking or pointing to a detail, dictation, or an established assistive response method after the learner has accessed the passage. Keep the same passage and text-based reasoning target. This reduces transcription demand; a read-aloud changes what the response can show about independent text reading, so note that context. This is not an accommodation prescription or a claim of individualized-plan compliance.

Extension

After a response gives a plausible inference and links it to clues, offer a new short scene with two defensible interpretations. Ask the learner to compare which details support each interpretation and to state what remains uncertain. This deepens reasoning rather than adding more items.

Choose a next move

Choose a route that fits the response and your teaching goal. These are links to materials already supplied, not a prescribed sequence or a placement decision.

Choose Evidence That Answers the Question — For question-relevant evidence, use Check A, one focused teaching route, unseen Recheck B and Later Check C.
Distinguish an Inference from a Guess — For inference, use its distinct model, guided scene and separate independent scene.
Additional files · teacher preparation
Use the separate stage choices above for student handouts. Complete selections may include later tasks or answers.
Identify a Central Idea and Write a Summary — Use the ready-made model and guided-practice selection. Keep the independent selection back until needed. The full packet and cover kit repeat Notice Board; after exposure, use it for familiar practice or choose the companion’s unused entry text.

Save follow-up passages until students are ready to try them on their own. Once a passage has been shown, modeled or practiced, use it for practice. Keep answer keys with the teacher and use each resource’s own learning target and criteria.

About the materials

Use the editable files to adapt the materials to your learners and local curriculum.

You may print, copy and adapt the resource for your planning and classroom use under our Terms of Use. Report a resource issue.

When the question needs first teaching

Read the Question and Support Your Answer — After a check shows a question or evidence connection needs teaching, use the bridge’s explicit models and guided practice.

Supply the next summary lesson

After the summary check, use complete summary response teaching when the point, relevant details, compression or accuracy needs attention. The companion supplies the passages, correction examples, guided questions, practice and different later checks; its teacher guide helps interpret each feature separately. The original check still has its own requirements, including its later-check detail.