Sixth Grade
Language Arts
Sixth grade English challenges students to enhance their communication skills through writing and speaking and to increase critical thinking skills through novel studies and by engaging with other works. Students build upon established grammar skills using IXL; they expand vocabulary by reading and through practice with Membean; and they read a variety of genres, journal, write essays and develop creative pieces, participate in discussions, and refine the process of formulating their own questions. In sixth grade, students explore the theme of "Myself in Relation to Others" through their novel and other studies. Class reads include a self-selected biography or autobiography, A Christmas Carol, A Long Walk to Water, and Freak the Mighty. Units include: A Walk in Another's Shoes; Empathy, Sympathy and Compassion; My Voice and Values--Your Voice and Values; and Don't Judge a Book by its Cover.
Math
In sixth grade math, students review and extend their understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations. Fractions and mixed numbers are introduced and examined in detail. Percent problems and conversions are studied throughout the year. In statistics and graphing, students create and interpret multiple types of graphs for meaning, and they differentiate between the uses of data landmarks. Geometry topics explore angle relationships, transformations, coordinate graphing, classifications, and definitions of polygons, area, perimeter, circumference, surface area, and volume. Through probability and statistics, students learn to solve real-world problems using mathematics. The process for solving one-step and multi-step algebraic equations is introduced along with using rates and proportions to solve for missing values. Students use math vocabulary to express themselves and interpret new concepts covered throughout the year.
Science
In sixth grade, students continue to develop skills important for science as they observe, measure, classify, predict, control variables, formulate hypotheses, interpret data and make inferences. The curriculum covers nature of science, weather and water, geologic changes on Earth, force and motion, and a survey of the kingdoms of organisms. Students will increase their understanding of how Earth's major systems interact with each other. The inquiry-based curriculum builds upon the foundation established in fifth grade and includes individual and collaborative long-term projects throughout the year.
Social Studies
The sixth grade Ancient Civilizations course is an in-depth exploration of influential civilizations that still have an impact on the world today. It is the first part of a two-year concentration on world history. The class focuses on key elements from significant civilizations including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, and Rome. The curriculum cultivates an awareness of civilizations and examines how they developed, endured, and collapsed, while analyzing the legacy these civilizations have left today's world. Additionally, students develop an understanding of how geography often influences societal development and how to extrapolate historical information from primary cultural sources such as art, government, religion, language, and architecture. Students focus on the theme of culture and learn to appreciate how it shapes their daily lives and society. The class fuses ancient history with modern technology to create an engaging and creative environment for learning, in which students continue to practice primary-source research and writing skills.
World Languages
French
Sixth grade French introduces basic vocabulary associated with self-introduction, greetings, family members, counting, colors, basic food and telling time. Proper pronunciation is modeled and refined. The grammar focuses on recognition of gender and proper part of the speech. Cultural traditions are explored through cooking and skits.
German
Sixth grade German equally addresses listening comprehension, written skills, and oral skills. The curriculum includes: an introduction to Germany and the German culture; greeting and saying farewell; introducing oneself and someone else; numbers and telephone numbers; asking where someone is from; phrasing a question; family members, time (normal and 24-hour); the days and the months; coordinating nouns with their correct definite articles; reading and discussing a first reading selection.
Spanish
Sixth grade Spanish students further develop their ability to speak, listen and write in the target language. Students learn the infinitive verbs ending in ar, er and ir; expressing agreement or disagreement; the gender and number of the nouns; and adjective-noun agreement. They learn how to conjugate regular verbs in present tense. They start using the verbs ser and estar in expressions.
