C6th

Sixth Grade Curriculum

Language Arts

The sixth grade year is designed to insure students have a solid grammar and writing foundation on which to build. Students will examine and analyze writing samples to determine their style of writing. Special attention will be given to determining the characteristics that are unique to each type of writing. The five steps of the writing process will be utilized to create original works in a variety of styles including descriptive, expository, narrative, creative, and persuasive. Students will learn about various types of poetry and a portfolio will be created as a culminating project. Grammar skills will be further developed through instruction and implemented in their writing.

Vocabulary / Literature

Students must have a good command of language in order to become good readers. Therefore, we will focus on increasing their vocabulary skills. They will master words listed in their vocabulary text. Twenty words per week will be assigned as homework each night. They will learn the definition, synonym, antonym, part of speech and sentence usage. A quiz on each unit will be given to test their study skills and mastery. These skills will be reinforced in their writing assignments.

Reading will be taught through specifically chosen works. Students will learn to identify the author’s purpose, theme, conflict, characters, settings and conclusion. They will master these skills and become discriminating critics of the written word. Each month a specific classic will be read in class and discussed. At the conclusion, students will be given a test on the Novel. We will read from famous authors like: Bradbury, Steinbeck, Lee, Shelly, Rawls, Conan Dole Shakespeare, and others.

Math

Mathematics in the Middle School encourages problem solving, critical thinking and mathematical inquiry. The aim is for all middle school students to become free thinkers, applying their math foundations to solve real world problems. Pre Algebra, Algebra and Algebra 11 are offered as upper level math courses. Placement in each course is determined by the mathematics department.

Six grade mathematics focuses on the discussion, mastery and application of skills in the areas of number theory, decimals, fractions, ratios, proportions, percents and statistics. Through practice and problem solving techniques, students are able to explore each topic using traditional skill-building practice and review.

Science

Throughout the year students will be actively engaged in two main content areas. The first being Life Science which integrates Life’s diversity, bacteria, plants, fungi, vertebrate and invertebrate animals. The second is Earth Science, which encompasses atmosphere, weather, and oceans.

Social Studies

The sixth grade will be using the National Geographic Society textbook, World Geography. The class will incorporate supplemental materials to teach concepts covering areas of geography, economics, environment, and cultures. Students will learn note-taking skills and how to synthesize historical information and thoughts into cohesive paragraphs. Students will be taught critical thinking skills that will allow them to make inferences on how climate, vegetation, physical, resource, political, and population distribution maps may be directly related to how people in a general geographic area live. Students will conduct research projects and papers that will demonstrate their knowledge of geographic regions. An International Luncheon will culminate the year.

Spanish

•Introduction to Spanish culture and language

•Salutations

•Primer Paso: Greetings, introduce oneself, ask how someone is feeling, ask where someone is from. Use Spanish alphabet to spell, numbers and dates.

•Friendship and friends; self description and the description of others; compare likes and dislikes.

•The school: talk about schedule of classes; name school supplies; telling time Paragraph reading and writing

•Leisure time: talk about leisure activities; use verbs poder, querer, estar, ir, & gustar; make plans with friends; cultural comparison of leisure time

•Food: talk about like/don’t like to eat; order food & learn food names; compare and contrast eating customs in Spanish speaking countries

•Noun/adjective agreement

•Present tense–"ar"-verbs

•Family theme

•Cultural notes: "la navidad", "el día de los muertos", "el día de las gracias", "el día de san valentín", "pascua" & "cinco de mayo"