Sixth Grade Curriculum

Language Arts

Reading

• Develop vocabulary from fiction/non-fiction text to construct and convey meaning.
• Read and analyze fiction using a variety of strategies.
• Use a variety of reading strategies to seek information and construct meaning from nonfiction materials/sources.
• Employ multiple strategies to recognize words as they construct meaning.
• Read appropriate materials for a sustained silent period of 100 minutes per week.

• Implement the writing process to include: pre-writing, drafting, conferencing, revising, editing, and publishing.
• Employ grammar structure strategies in the writing process.
• Compose a variety of texts to persuade, inform, entertain, and inspire utilizing the writing process.

Listening

• Listen critically and express understanding.

Speaking

• Develop oral communication skills to effectively inform, persuade, entertain and inspire.
• Design and deliver an oral presentation that persuades, informs, entertains or inspires after analysis of a prompt which includes purpose and audience.
• Identify and practice elements of effective communication to enhance relationships. Elements include: confidence, appropriate volume, pace, vocabulary and poise.

Research/Study Skills

• Identify and use appropriate materials, take notes and cite informational sources.
• Collect, evaluate and organize information for written and oral presentations.
• Display an awareness of individual learning styles by developing a variety of personal study strategies.
• Develop a sense of responsibility and ownership for learning.

Science

Astronomy

• Compare the Earth to other planets in terms of supporting life.
• Describe and compare the motion of the planets in the solar system.

Simple Machines

• Construct charts and graphs to compare data from experiments with simple machines.
• Describe how forces effect speed, pushes and pulls.

Magnets and Motors

• Construct various apparatus to test electro-magnetic fields.
• Conduct and analyze a controlled experiment with an electro-magnet.

Microworlds

• Conduct observations to determine characteristics.
• Use observation to determine observation vs. opinion.
• Classify common organisms.

Health

The sixth grade health education curriculum focuses on:

• Health & risks.
• Resolving conflicts and having friends.
• Staying safe & preventing violence.
• Resisting peer pressure & avoiding drugs.
• The impact heredity, the environment & lifestyle have on health.
• The circulatory system.
• Nutrition, exercise & stress.
• Preventing HIV infection.

Social Studies

The sixth grade social studies curriculum focuses on the Western Hemisphere. Students are introduced to the regions of Canada and Latin America. They study the geographic significance of each of these regions, exploring the natural and cultural features that are unique to each. Students explore the history, government, economics and global interdependence of each region with special emphasis on economic ties to the United States. Mapping skills are further developed. Unit topics include Central America, West Indies, South America along with Inuit studies and Maya quest. Students study the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environmental interaction, movement and region.

Mathematics

Prime Time

• Develop s strong understanding of number theory and number classification. Identify properties and important number relationships in order to solve problems involving common multiples, common factors, and number patterns.

Shapes and Designs

• Students develop ability to recognize, display, analyze, measure, and reason about shape and visualize geometric pattern. Students will discover key properties of figure and their applications.

Bits and Pieces Part 2

• The focus of this unit is the development and understanding of fraction operations. Students develop meaning and efficient strategies for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with fractions.

Covering and Surrounding

• Students identify the attribute to be measured and select the appropriate unit of measurement for length, perimeter, and area. Students interpret measurements and recognize that two object may have the same measurement on one attribute (area), but not on another (perimeter). Students apply measurement to describe real world problems.

Decimal and Percentage Operations

• Students experience building algorithms for computation with decimals, as well as opportunities to decide when such operations are useful. Students further their understanding and skill in solving percent problems using real world situations.

What are the Changes?

• Students develop an understanding of probability as a measure of likelihood that can be assigned to a given event and make critical judgment about probabilistic situation.

Physical Education

Art

Music

Library