6th grade curriculum

Religion – Sixth grade students study God’s Word beginning with the Old Testament. In this year long study, they explore God’s loving action in the lives of His people. Students will be led to grow in: social, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions.  Each lesson includes: worship connections, learning facts and the truths of the Bible, and memory work.

ELA:  English Language Arts is broken into three main blocks throughout the week – a reading block, a writing block, and a word study block.  Each block begins with a short mini-lesson led by the teacher, followed by guided and independent practice, and concludes with the class regrouping to review the skill for the day.  The following skills are mastered in each block (keep in mind that this is a sampling only):  Reading Block – The following genres are explored:  fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, biographies, poetry, drama, science fiction, and historical fiction.  The following literary terms are defined and discussed: simile, metaphor, idiom, symbolism, character motivation, irony etc.  Writing Block – The following writing pieces are mastered and entered into the students’ portfolio:  personal narrative, cause & effect, comparison & contrast, opinion statement, and research reports.  Word Study Block – New vocabulary, antonyms, synonyms, affixes, analogies, and root words.  Grammar, punctuation, spelling and an emphasis on editing is practiced. The New York State Standards are a foundation and paramount in all planning.  The NYS Testing Program is administered.

It is the hopes and aspirations of the Holy Ghost educators to witness the fruits of their joint efforts to produce students that upon completing the Middle School English Language Arts program possess the following skills:  

• Speak with conviction
• Listen with understanding and compassion
• Write with clarity and persuasion
• Read with comprehension and enthusiasm
• Develop a lifelong love of reading
• Work as a team member/leader
• Communicate through language and technology

Mathematics – In Math 6 students take Course 1 in a three-course cycle that ends in 8th grade with Course 3. In Grade 6, instruction focuses on four critical areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking. A strong foundation in the math skills and facts of additional, subtraction, multiplication, and division is needed to succeed in Math 6. Students can expect to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools strategically, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Social Studies – The 6th Grade curriculum focuses on  World Geography: Adventures in Time and Place. The study beings with Understanding the World looking – the regions and earliest known people and their development. Next comes learning about early civilization from Egypt to China. This is followed by a study of New Idea and New Empires  – a study of Greek, Roman, Arabian Empires and Early America. Students will look at World Regions including: Medieval Europe, Empires of Africa and Asia, and the Empires and Cultures of the Americas. Students explore these areas is varied ways: project and research, text investigation, Internet searches, and cooperative learning experiences. Social Studies is a fun way to learn about the world with which God so richly all of us. Writing is used help students in their critical thinking skills.

Earth Science – The study of science is a wonderful opportunity to discover God’s perfect handiwork.  A foundation of our Earth Science curriculum is respect for God’s intended design of this world.  The Science Explorer textbook (Prentice Hall) is used to cover the course content that covers state and national science standards.  An emphasis is placed on the underlying concepts involved in Earth Science and how they are connected.  Hands-on “discover” activities highlight each new section. Students can often be found creating models and simulations of God’s world.  Exciting and stimulating units are explored within this curriculum covering topics like:  plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, and astronomy.  A school-wide science fair is conducted every other year with the Scientific Method and process skills being emphasized throughout the process.  

Physical Education – Students in Grades 6-8 join together, divided by gender, in planned physical activity. These gym classes involve physical fitness training, skills development in various sports’ areas, and good Christian sportsmanship. Skills, cooperation, and enthusiasm are important components to a good physical education experience. Students are required to change clothing for gym class to promote good personal hygiene.

Life Skills – Students in grades 6-8 receive instruction in a variety of topics that prepare for the challenges experienced in life.  This course has addressed issues related to health and fitness, macro and micro economics, food planning and preparation, technology skills, sewing, personal hygiene, how to defend the Christian faith verses the secular world, and study skills.  Four units are instructed during the school year using a variety of instructional resources including technology and guest speakers from the community.