Grade 6 Curriculum

Religious Education

Sixth grade students study the Bible in this year’s religion program. Using the We Believe, We Are God’s People text, students learn about God through his creation and through Divine Revelation handed down through the Bible and Tradition. Beginning with a look at the book of Genesis, God is seen as Creator of the universe, source of all life and of human beings who are made in God’s image and likeness. Students learn about the entering of evil in the world; God’s promise to send a Savior, God’s covenant; the Patriarchs our ancestors in faith; the Israelites in Egypt, Moses, and God helping his people; God’s people in Canaan; Samson, Ruth, Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon and the building of the Temple. Next, students learn about the tribes of Israel and Judah; the prophets proclaiming God’s faithfulness and bringing hope to the people; the Exile and the Journey home. Finally, we learn about the Covenant fulfilled in Jesus; Jesus, Redeemer and Savior, the beginning of the Church and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Students in the sixth grade learn more about the Liturgical year, Ordinary Time, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week and Easter. They study the lives of several saints and learn about the communion of saints. Students learn about Mary; celebrate special feast days and pray the “Living Rosary” in May.

The school worships together at Mass each month on Holy Days and on particular Saint’s Feast Days. Sixth grade students assist at a monthly Mass as readers, servers, gift bearers and choir members. We gather together for prayer on occasions of thanksgiving, celebration, sadness and joy. Each morning, we begin our day with prayer, scripture reading, and respect for our country led by students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

As the family of St. Mary School, an important goal is to help students to be aware of the opportunities to follow Jesus’ call to serve others and encourage them in this endeavor. Some of the ways that the sixth grade has done this is by coordinating the school wide recycling of paper; donating food monthly to St. Anne’s Food Pantry; helping children in transitional housing at Christmas; contributing to a children’s coat drive; and helping Tsunami victims and Hurricane victims.

Through instruction, worship, prayer, and service, we hope that each child will grow closer to our loving God.

Social Studies

This year we will be studying world cultures and geographic regions, beginning with the rise and spread of civilizations. We will learn how trade and other exchanges between different peoples led to growth, conflict, and changes. We will spend most of the year on the foundations of western civilization, and will learn about more modern civilizations in the spring. The main units of study will be:

• Geography (the study of the earth, its peoples, and their cultures)
• The rise of civilizations, including:
  • Mesopotamia (the earliest civilization known to mankind)
  • Ancient Egypt and Nubia
  • Ancient India and China
  • The Ancient Americas
  • Ancient Africa
• The spread of civilization, including:
  • Ancient Greece (its people, ideas, and mythology)
  • Ancient Rome and Byzantium
  • The rise and spread of Islam
  • The Middle Ages (including churches, castles, and chivalry)
  • o The Renaissance Cultural centers around the world, including Christian Ethiopia, the Ottoman Empire, the Ming Dynasty, and the Aztec Empire

We will also take time to discuss important current events, when appropriate.

We have a test at the end of each chapter, quizzes as needed, and various projects which will be weighted in the grading according to the time and effort needed to complete them.

Materials include:

• Text: Discover Our Heritage World Cultures (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003)
• Workbook
• Supplemental worksheets
• Atlas, globe, maps, encyclopedia, electronic encyclopedia, and the Internet

Grading will be based on tests, quizzes, in-class work, homework, and other assignments and projects. Projects will have specific grading rubrics.

The Language Arts Program

Literature

In Grade 6 Literature, we are using the Holt Literature series. This series contains high quality literature of many genres. Our focus will be on reading strategies and skills, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and responding to literature.

This program provides excellent reinforcement and development of skills learned in previous grades. “Book Check Jr.,” a precursor to the 7th and 8th Grade “Book Check,” will supplement students’ text book anthology by encouraging them to read contemporary and classic works of quality literature and respond to that literature in an in-class book report format. Materials we use include:

• Holt Literature Series
• Supplemental activity and work sheets

English

In Grade 6 English and Writing, we are using the Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar, Communication in Action English textbook. The emphasis will be placed on studying grammar as a way to enhancing writing. We will study sentence structure, and parts of speech.

As part of the writing curriculum, students will learn about narrative, informative, persuasive, and descriptive writing.

Spelling and Vocabulary

In Spelling and Vocabulary, we will use a combination of the Vocabulary From Classical Roots program together with several spelling lists, including lists of high-frequency and often misspelled words. These will be used weekly for homework assignments and tests. Students will be expected to use their vocabulary, and spell the words correctly in their daily writing.

Materials:

• Vocabulary From Classical Roots
• Weekly activity and work sheets
• Supplemental activity and work sheets

Grading will be based on tests, quizzes, in-class work, homework, and other assignments.

Math

Grade Six is divided into two groups for math – One works in Room seven with Mrs. MacDonough, and one works with Ms. Lordan in the Math Room. At the end of the second marking period, the groups switch rooms and teachers. The text that we use is Houghton Mifflin.

Topics covered in grade 6 are:

• Addition and subtraction of whole numbers and decimals 
• Multiplication and division of whole numbers 
• Multiplication and division of decimals
• Graphing and statistics
• Measurement and geometry, including unit conversions and angles
• Addition and subtraction of fractions
• Multiplication and division of fractions 
• Area and volume
• Ratio, percent and probability
• Operations with integers

Classes proceed at a pace suited to the group's needs and abilities. Problem solving activities occur frequently, and we often ask the students to explain how they got their answers in writing. Sixth grade students occasionally use calculators and computers in math class.

Science

The Middle School Science Program here at St. Mary School is designed around scientific understanding of the physical world and the process that is used to gain this understanding. The goal is to provide each student with the opportunity to understand and explore the physical world that we have before us. I look upon science as a tool for discovery, and not an end result. Science is more about asking the right questions, than getting the expected answers. Science cannot answer all questions, but it is willing to ask them. This is the approach that I take into the classroom.

The science for grade six is to consist of four units. For each unit, the students will use one of the Prentice Hall Science Explorer series texts. In the first unit, the students will be using the text "From Bacteria to Plants." They will be learning about life science from the simplest life forms through the kingdom of plants. The unit begins with an introduction to the scientific process, and how to be a student of science. This will be followed by section on how science defines life, and how science organizes and classifies life. Next they will explore viruses, bacteria, and the roles these play in our world. They will learn about the kingdoms of Protists and Fungi, and finish off the unit with the plant kingdom. In studying plants they will learn about mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, and angiosperms.

The second unit is the Physical Science unit. In this unit the students will be using the text “Sound and Light”. This will take them through the understanding of waves and how they relate to the science of sound and light. They will explore the very nature of sound and how we hear. This is followed by a study of the electromagnetic spectrum, complete with section on wireless communication. They complete the unit with a study of light and color.

The next unit's text is "Weather and Climate." The students move from the surface to the atmosphere, and learn about the different layers that it is made of. This is followed by the study of weather factor and patterns, and the unit will finish with a look at climate regions and short and long term changes.

In the last unit, the students will be using the text "Animals" to learn about the life science kingdom of animals. The year begins with an overview of the scientific process, and how to be a student of science. From here they will start to learn about the simplest types of animals, sponges and cnidarians, and worms. They will then move through the more complex animals as they more toward the more familiar animals such as fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. They will complete the unit by learning about birds and mammals, and animal behavior.

The students will have handouts to support the texts. Homework assignments are given weekly and along with the labs. The lab work is mostly data collection and recorded in a log book, with the analysis and conclusions portion completed at home. The students are expected to read the current section in the text each night for fifteen minutes and take some form of notes (the bulk of the notes are taken in class). No assignment should take more than 30 minutes on a given night, some of the labs may have involved questions, but they are given multiple nights to complete these assignments. If a student requires greater than 30 minutes, they should stop and see me in the morning or at the beginning of class. They will be quizzed weekly, to assess the students progress and retention of material and their comprehension of the terminology. Tests will come at the end of each unit.

Labs will be bi-weekly and are intended to support the material that is being covered in the text.

Each quarter the students should expect about 10 homeworks (20%), 10 Quizzes (40%), 5 Labs (20%), 2 Tests (20%).

Spanish

¡Bienvenidos a Español! Learning a second language is not always easy in the beginning, but with a willingness to put in the necessary time most the students experience success. Parents often ask, “How can I help my child?” Below are some suggestions of how you might be able to help your child succeed.

First, a world language class is unlike any other class and your child should review vocabulary a little everyday, even when there is no written homework. At this level there is always something that can be reviewed. Have your child review in 15-minute intervals where much of their time is spent in recitation or practice. If flashcards werenÂ’t a required assignment have them make them, include both vocabulary and grammar. Have your child use the cards over and over until they can immediately identify both the Spanish and the English, including spelling. Vocabulary is the key, which unlocks the mystery of a language. If they know their vocabulary all aspects of the class are much less intimidating.

Second, encourage your child to participate in every class. Class time is their best opportunity to gain practice. If they review grammar and vocabulary outside of class they can spend class time practicing. When others are called on to speak they should try to participate silently and listen.

Third, help them to develop a positive attitude toward the class. Remind them that it is okay to make mistakes and to use them as opportunities to learn. Their focus needs to be on accomplishing the task and not on their performance.

Lastly, help them practice for tests and quizzes by asking them to do what they will have to do on the test or quiz. This includes listening, writing, reading and speaking. Make up your own test questions. As well, at the end of each lesson is a vocabulary review page, which you will want to take the time to go over with your child along with their quizzes and homework and anything else not mastered from past lessons.

This year, your child will learn how to:

• greet others and introduce themselves and others
• express likes and dislikes using the structure gustarse
• describe themselves, their families and friends
• describe the physical nature of the classroom and school as well as school subjects and schedules
• tell time, state the date and the season
• conjugate present tense regular -ar,-ir,-er verbs
• conjugate present tense irregular verbs:ser,tener,ir,estar,venir

Last year, your child learned: El Padre Nuestro and El Salve María, both of which we will review and they will receive and oral recitation grade on them. This year they will also learn: Gloria al Padre, La Ofrenda Diaria and Grace before meals.

Expectations

• Students are expected to be respectful toward themselves and their classmates and act accordingly. The essence of a language class is that it is a social experience and it mandates students adhere to classroom rules set forth.
• Homework assignments are given to provide your child an opportunity to gain written practice with the language and to learn vocabulary. I expect all my students will make every attempt to complete their homework. If your child doesn’t understand an assignment and becomes frustrated I would prefer to see a page of errors than nothing recorded at all. A page of errors provides me a starting point to help facilitate understanding. If your child is absent please follow the procedure outlined in the student handbook.
• All work should be completed in blue or black ink and in cursive. All work should be done on white loose-leaf paper and include a heading. The page number and activity number should be on each assignment.
• Students are expected to maintain a working notebook where all handouts, homework and quizzes should be stored. Notebooks are evaluated periodically.

Grades are a culmination of everything your child does, both in class and at home. Averages are determined as follows:

• Tests: 40%
• Quizzes: 25%
• Homework/Classwork: 25%
• Participation:10%

Extra Help is available when scheduled ahead of time.

Technology

Technology is integrated across the curriculum in Grades PreK-8. The Massachusetts Department of Education Recommended Instructional Technology Standards can be found here. The following is a sampling of technology use and is subject to change based on new applications and curriculum. Students in Grade 6 through 8 use desktop computers in their classroom and have weekly technology classes using the wireless computer lab. Weekly Computer Activites:

• Continue with Type to Learn 3
• Outlining with Inspiration
• Using various features of Word to create a poster, following directions activity using the draw toolbar
• Internet research using search engines and teacher approved websites
• Webquests with note taking and written report using Word
• Power Point slideshow adding animation to slides
• Excel- enter data and graph using graphing wizard
• Scanning pictures to import into Power Point slideshows or Word documents