Sixth Grade Curriculum

Math

• Middle School Mathematics Pathways and Placement

Math classes provide experience in the following strands of mathematics: number sense, algebra and functions, measurement and geometry, statistics and data analysis, and probability.

Computational and procedural skills are maintained and extended, and students have opportunities to use skills in increasingly difficult applications. It is important that students know not only how to apply skills but also when to apply them and why they should apply them.

Effort is made to integrate important mathematical ideas so that students can see how ideas build on, or connect with other ideas. Students are expected to confront increasingly complex problems that require multiple steps and more sophisticated reasoning and proof. Emphasis is made on communication of thinking and problem solving strategies and on justification of methods and solutions. Students will learn to look for patterns, communicate mathematically, investigate and uses a variety of problem solving methods. Students will acquire and practice basic math skills and develop their individual and group problem solving skills. This is a rigorous and important year for mathematics. Many of the math skills mastered in the sixth grade will apply to questions that appear on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).

Sixth grade math students use textbooks based on the California State Standards, and additional materials that extend core ideas, provide needed skills practice, and encourage students to show their mathematical processes.

A particular goal is that students develop an appreciation for the beauty of mathematics and find pleasure in working with its patterns and processes.

Language Arts

Writing: Effective communication is the goal of the writing program. Emphasis is placed onthe structure of writing with practice in expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative writing forms. The writing process is used to develop a topic from infancy to finished product. The process involves brainstorming, draft writing, revising, and editing. Students receive feedback from peers and the teacher in conferences before submitting a final draft. Skills, such as punctuation, syntax, style, and developing an effective five-paragraph essay, are taught to enhance effective communication. Emphasis is given to the minimum conventions of writing, which can be found in the student agenda.

Literature: The goals of the literature program include the fostering of reading as an activity of choice, and exposing students to a broad range of genres and styles.

Throughout the year, students read and discuss teacher-selected novels, short stories, essays, and poetry from a variety of sources. In addition, students select and read works chosen from genre lists developed in conjunction with the librarian. The genres include adventure, historical fiction, mystery, biography, and realistic fiction.

Student responses to their reading include the analysis of character, plot, setting, and theme; personal reflection; stylistic observation; and/or critical thinking questions provoked by the reading. This facilitates student understanding of the connection between reading and writing.

Vocabulary: Throughout the year, students study the vocabulary used by the authors in the aboves elections. In addition, students study lists of grade level appropriate words in the Wordly Wise program. Words are identified, defined, studied, and applied.

Grammar and Spelling: Grammar and spelling are taught regularly as part of the writing process as well as through direct instruction. The students practice parts of speech and sentence structure with worksheets and daily oral language.

Science

The focus for sixth grade science is the dynamic, ever-changing Earth. Under the umbrella of Earth Science, students will be learning about the following topics: Earth systems and processes, platetectonics and Earth’s structure, meteorology, and ecology and resources.

The Earth systems unit focuses on the constructive and destructive forces that shape the land. An exploration of the rock cycle will take place, as well as an examination of the types of weathering that affect rock. Students will then look at the topography of Earth’s surface and investigate how water, wind, and other natural forces can change the topography through erosion and deposition.

In the plate tectonics and Earth’s structure unit, students will start by building their knowledge of Earth’s structure and composition. They will then explore plate tectonics and the theory of continental drift, which will lead to an in-depth study of earthquake and volcanic activity which occur along plate boundaries.

The meteorology component to the course will be a time for students to gain an understanding of the atmosphere, weather and climate. Students will study how changes in pressure, heat, air movement, and humidity lead to changes in the weather.

In our study of ecology and resources, students will explore the environment and its resources. They will look at the fragile balance of living and non-living things and learn to predict how changes in one environmental factor can affect a change in one or more other factors, with an emphasis on how human activities in particular can affect Earth’s land, air, water, and other living things.

Throughout the year, students will work on both acquiring knowledge in traditional ways and through investigation and experimentation. As this is the first year of science as a core subject, it is important that students build their literacy of science terms as well as develop effective means for organizing information. Students will become familiar with using the scientific method as a means to answering scientific questions and will use critical thinking skills when comparing models to systems on Earth.

Social Studies

The goals of the social studies program are to develop an appreciation of cultures old and new, connecting current events to events from past civilizations. The program focuses on the interrelationship of the five strands of social studies: history, geography, economics, culture, and political and social systems. Students come to understand concepts basic to the understanding of history such as the growth of civilization, the development of writing, and the importance of trade.

Students study these civilizations through a variety of projects, activities and reports. Periodically, students give oral reports to strengthen their speaking and listening skills. Other skills include outlining, map and geography skills, and how to take notes. Students are also taught how to read and comprehend non-fiction text. Through participation in this program, students sharpen their critical thinking and research abilities and develop critical evaluation skills with regard to all media, including the Internet.

Art

In this class, students learn the Principles of Design by creating a portfolio in which they determine the meaning of, the reason for, and the appropriate use of each principle. Using both two and three-dimensional techniques, they apply what they learned about the Elements of Design in fifth grade in a series of projects intended to highlight the new principles. In addition, students have studio workshops on block days to further explore and apply what they are learning; these projects are more process oriented, involving new and/or more advanced techniques and media.

Band and Chorus

The Sixth Grade Band: The sixth grade band meets during the school day and is a continuation of the fifth grade band program. Students continue to work on their reading and playing skills through traditional band arrangements, scale studies and rhythmic studies. Students who choose to participate in sixth grade band also have the option of changing to a different instrument with parent and instructor permission. Instruments may be rented and/or purchased through local music stores. Students are expected to practice their instrument at home and rehearse in class in preparation for two concerts during the school year: a winter concert that takes place at the end of January and a spring concert that takes place in early June.

The Sixth Grade Chorus: The sixth grade chorus also meets during the school day. Students learn songs of differing musical styles and time periods. We also sing in othe rlanguages besides English, such as Latin or Spanish. We sing in unison and in two part harmony in a large choral setting and continue to work on rehearsal skills, note reading and rhythmic skills within the repertoire and using outside sources. Students are expected to practice their chorus music at home with the assistance of the music web page and rehearse in class in preparation for two concerts during the school year: a winter concert that takes place at the end of January and a spring concert that takes place in early June.

Descriptive Writing and Poetry

State standards related to the areas of descriptive writing and poetry will be addressed in a creative, stress-free environment. The work of masters such as Shakespeare, Browning, and Marlowe will be used as models to emulate.

Life Skills

Life Skills is a program designed to teach students how to solve problems that come up in real life. The program gives students the tools needed to communicate better at home and school, make healthy decisions, and solve conflicts with friends. In this program we will also work together to help create a bully-free campus and learn to appreciate people who may be different from us.

Physical Education

Expectations: Our philosophy and goal in Physical Education is to make students more aware of how mind, body and spirit work together as one entity. Therefore, this will teach the importance of lifelong fitness/sports skills, as well as health principles that will enable students to make informed choices when it comes to their health and self-image. In order to accomplish this, we expect all students to complete all assignments and to behave in a respectful and cooperative manner with consideration of others. Remember, “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”

Activities: Soccer; Speedball; Pickleball; Volleyball; Cooperative Games; Team Handball; Frisbee Skills; Indoor Soccer; Table Tennis; Physical Fitness/Fitness Assessment; Tumbling Skills and Gymnastics; Track & Field; Dance: (Ballroom, Line, Square, Aerobic); Basketball; Floor Hockey Skills; SoftballSkills/Over-the-Line, Health/First Aid.

Materials: Students are required to have athletic shoes and socks, and the standard Kent uniform (red Kent shorts and shirt). Sweatshirts and sweatpants are needed for cold weather (gray Kent sweats are perfect!) Sweats are to be worn over the uniform. No street clothes are to be worn underneath uniforms.

Daily Grading: For completing daily requirements, students will earn five points. One point for being suited up properly; two points for successfully completing fitness/calisthenics; and two points for being actively and respectfully engaged with maximum effort. Additional written and skills testing will factor into final grade.

Procedures: In order for a student to be excused from participation due to illness or injury, an explanatory note specifically stating the problem and signed by a parent or guardian is required on the day the student is to be excused. Please provide your son’s/daughter’s teachers with an inhaler to store in the Physical Education offices if your child should need it.

Student Responsibilities:

• Taking uniforms home on Friday to be washed and brought back on Monday for locker room entry.
• Name on all P.E. clothes (shirt inside and out).
• Completion any homework assignments.
• Paying $7.00 for lost or stolen locks issued by the school.
• Proper use of equipment and paying for any that is carelessly damaged.
• Prepared with Agenda and pencil.

After School Sports: Kent provides the opportunity for inter-scholastic competition. Those boys and girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade who are interested in competition on a higher level may participate in the following sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Cross-country, Track and Flag Football. If a student participates in after school sports, he/she must have a written consent form on file with the school. They are available in the front office or from your coach.

Public Speaking

Students in this class improve their skills in projection, expression, pacing, eye contact, and other areas of public speaking, through practicing and reciting the Gettysburg Address and another famous speech, poem, or monolog.
The students then carry out library and digital research on a controversial topic, and write a persuasive speech, using specific evidence, relevant facts, and details to convince the audience of the superiority of their side of the controversy. This argument speech is presented with a slideshow, which the student creates to support his or her position.

Technology

In this class, students learn or enhance their keyboarding and word processing skills, setting individual performance goals with the teacher. As well, students become familiar with word processing for use in other classes, learn useful technical vocabulary, and master managing their work in their own files on the school server. They practice the proper and safe use of computers, review copyright ethics and plagiarism, and learn correct use of bibliographic citations for their sources. All students have on-campus access to the typing tutor software during recesses.

Kentfield School District’s teacher librarians align the K-8 library program with California state standards. A teacher librarian possesses both a California teaching credential and a California teacher librarian services credential. Our library programen compasses information and technology literacy as well as literature appreciation.

The following information is excerpted from the Model School Library Standards for California Public Schools1 adopted by California State Board of Education in September 2010.

More than 60 research studies throughout the nation, from Alaska to North Carolina to California, have shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized tests than their peers in schools without libraries.

School libraries have evolved from simply providing print materials to offering rich selections of print, media,and digital resources; from teaching students how to search a card catalog to teaching students strategies for searching a variety of print, media, and digital resources; from teaching basic reading literacy to teaching information literacy (the ability to access, evaluate, use, and integrate information andideas effectively). However, the skills learned from print transcend their use in books alone.

School Library Standards for Students

School library standards for students incorporate information literacy skills. Students learn to access, evaluate, use, and integrate information and ideas found in print, media, and digital resources, enabling them to function in a knowledge-based economy and technologically oriented society.

The standards are organized around four concepts followed by overarching standards that continue across all grade levels. Each grade or grade span has detailed standards. Students should achieve these standards by the end of each grade level or grade span. In addition, students should have mastered the standards for previous grades and continue to use the skills and knowledge as they advance in school. The classroom teacher and teacher librarian should assess student progress to determine whether students have acquired the prerequisite knowledge and skills and whether there is a need to review or re-teach standards from earlier grades.

These are not stand-alone standards taught in isolation; they are meant to be taught collaboratively by the classroom teacher and the teacher librarian in the context of the curriculum.

Organization of the Standards

1. Students access information

The student will access information by applying knowledge of the organization of libraries, print materials, digital media, and other sources.

1.1 Recognize the need for information.

1.2 Formulate appropriate questions.

1.3 Identify and locate a variety of resources online and in other formats by using effective search strategies.

1.4 Retrieve information in a timely, safe, and responsible manner.=

2. Students evaluate information

The student will evaluate and analyze information to determine what is appropriate to address the scope of inquiry.

2.1 Determine the relevance of the information.

2.2 Assess the comprehensiveness, currency, credibility, authority, and accuracy of resources.

2.3 Consider the need for additional information.

3. Students use information

The student will organize, synthesize,create, and communicate information.

3.1 Demonstrate ethical, legal, and safe use of information in print, media, and onliner esources.

3.2 Draw conclusions and make informed decisions.

3.3 Use information and technology creatively to answer a question, solve a problem, or enrich understanding.

4. Students integrate information literacy skills into all areas oflearning

The student will independently pursue information to become a lifelong learner.

4.1 Readwidely and use various media for information, personal interest, and life long learning.

4.2 Seek, produce, and share information.

4.3 Appreciate and respond to creative expressions of information.

*Model School Library Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve. Ed. Faye Ong. California State Board of Education. Sacramento: California Department ofEducation, 2011. Web. 20 Sept. 2011.