Welcome to 6th Grade!
Discover what makes this year remarkable, from Wonders of the Ancient World and the Apple Store, to the Penn Museum and Egypt.
English Language Arts
Using the Study Sync program, students continue to develop reading skills by using strategies and CLOSE reading, delving deeper into reading selections. Students learn to respond critically to the author's viewpoint, understand and analyze different literary forms, and examine elements of nonfiction. A comparison of themes, characters, settings and plots in various works of literature are completed by students, in addition to establishing connections to text, self, and the world. The effective use of inferential questioning and the development of response to literature in writing is covered and students understand the elements of sound, structure, rhyme and rhythm in poetry.
Students use the five step writing process, and apply semantic maps, outlines, clusterings to organize information. They develop sentence structure in writing, using compound and complex sentences. Students learn to use persuasive techniques related to advertising and propaganda, and how to write to a specific audience. Emphasis is placed on using different points of view in writing, paraphrasing, and varying topic sentences in writing paragraphs.
Mathematics
Students use Reveal Math Course 1 to continue developing a deep understanding of math concepts, problem solving, numeracy and mental math while strengthening computation skills to ensure long-term math success.
Students extend their knowledge of place value to include negative values and extend computation skills to positive and negative decimals and fractions. Emphasis is placed on part-whole thinking and applied to ratios, rates, and percents. Problem solving with modeling is extended to increasingly complex problems to lay the foundations for strong algebraic thinking and solution of multi-step algebraic equations and inequalities is mastered. Geometry concepts are extended to increasingly complex plane and solid figures. Graphing the coordinate plane is extended to all four quadrants. Statistical concepts are introduced, including measures of central tendency.
Science
Students are engaged in the Discovery Education Science TechBook, an interactive program designed to lead students through the discovery of science and its many topics. Sixth grade focuses on: Physical Science - a study of matter and the different types of energy; Life Science - a study of cells, the diversity of life and evolution; Earth & Space Science - our solar system and beyond: the sun, moon and earth are part of this study of space and its many components. Each unit allows the students to explore and engage in topics which are relevant to the world in which we live. These units prepare them for future scientific studies.
Social Studies
Focusing on the Ancient World through Discovery Education Social Studies TechBook, students explore the processes of authority, power, and influence, with particular emphasis on democratic skills and attitudes necessary to become responsible citizens. Through examination of the Five Themes of Geography, students examine the role of culture, technology, and the environment in human endeavors. Through learning significant ideas, beliefs, and themes of the Ancient World, students organize patterns and events and analyze how societies have changed over time. Social Studies at this level is dependent upon using strong reading, writing, and thinking processes and skills to gain knowledge. Instruction focuses on understanding political, historical, and current events using chronological and spatial thinking, economic reasoning, and historical interpretation, by framing and evaluating questions from primary and secondary sources.
Religion
Sixth grade catechesis focuses on a deep examination of the Old Testament through the Spirit of Truth. This is in line with the core Catholic belief that knowledge of the content of God's self-revelation found in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition helps students know and understand the mysteries of the faith proclaimed in the Creed.