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Math
We will be using the “Everyday Mathematics” program in 6th grade. Everyday Math emphasizes many content strands: numeration (place value, fractions, negative numbers, decimals, powers of 10), operations and computation (fractions, decimals, percents), data and chance (probability, data manipulation), geometry, measurement, and algebra. Students will build on topics from 5th grade, using a problem-solving approach based on everyday situations that help develop critical thinking.
Language Arts
In 6th grade language arts this year we will be utilizing a variety of reading materials and genres. We will be taking a close look at biographies, novels, short stories, magazine and newspaper articles, and plays. During our writing workshops we will have the opportunity to navigate through the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) to compose a variety of genres including descriptive, procedural, summary, narratives, biographies, advertisement, and persuasive writing. We will also be studying and composing poetry and myths. Our writing will be organized using the color coded “stoplight” approach to writing organization. Grammar, reading comprehension strategies, and vocabulary will be interwoven throughout the curriculum where relevant and will also be taught in isolation. Many of our reading selections will be integrated with the social studies and science curriculum and will provide us with relevant background knowledge about what we are studying in those subjects.
Reading and Writing Activities:
Literature Circle Discussions
Shared/Guided/Independent Reading
Journaling/Reflecting
Independent and Partner Reading
Individual and Group Projects
Book Reports (There will be one book report each
trimester.)
Shared/Guided/Independent Writing
Writing Portfolios
Texts and workbooks to be used:
Grades 5-6 Houghton Mifflin Anthology
Grades 5-8 Language Exercise (Steck Vaughn)
Special Grade Level Activities:
Grade 6-Buddy Reading with younger students
Social Studies
The focus of sixth-grade social studies is the ancient trade and transportation. We will begin with the major geographic features of the world, we will focus on early humans, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt to examine the different ways the environment affected early economic systems and the impact transportation had on the growth of civilizations and trade. We will then examine ancient trade routes such as the Silk Road in China, the spice trade in India, and the Roman Empire. We will then be using these ancient trade routes as a vehicle (no pun intended) through which to study how transportation affected trade in the ancient world and how the location of resources affected ancient world economies. We will wrap things up with a look at the ancient Central and South American civilizations such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas.
6th Grade: Physical Science
6th Grade spends their year learning about the basic laws that govern the universe. We begin the year by exploring Newton's basic Laws of Force & Motion. This leads to investigations of simple machines, and how they have been used throughout history. Next we investigate how the properties of fluids (air and water) create buoyancy and lift. By wintertime we'll be investigating the properties of matter and the Periodic Table of the Elements. Using what we learned about the behavior of electrons, we then investigate electricity, magnetism, and the electromagnetic spectrum.
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