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Humanities

During Module #3, sixth grade Humanities students will collaborate in partnerships and small groups to continue to build a strong community of readers and writers. In Reading Workshop, we will focus on going deeper into the "interpretation" of literature in book club groups, where students will be paired with similar-ability reading partners to read the same books and hold discussions twice a week. In Writing Workshop, we will work on short fiction stories, using writing partners to help us revise our work. In Social Studies, students will further explore Democracy and Ancient Greece. During this unit, students will simulate the "Athenian Assembly" while they research, debate, and ultimately decide whether or not to declare war on Sparta; they will defend their argument in a persuasive essay. The culminating activity will be a 6th-grade-wide debate and election!

Science

Sixth graders will begin the third module completing a unit on weather and climate. They will further investigate the question: What factors affect the temperature of the Earth? Through hands-on activities, students will learn how water is naturally recycled, what causes the seasons, how different air masses interact to create weather patterns, and how elevation affects air temperature. During this module, students will further sharpen their lab-report writing skills and they will learn new lab skills such as reading a thermometer and using a solar motion demonstrator.
At the end of the third module, sixth graders will begin a unit on the diversity of life. As students explore the kingdoms of life, they will examine the question: What makes something alive? Students will observe a wide range of organisms, including bacteria, protists, fungi, plants, and animals. During these observations, sixth graders will find answers to the following questions:
• What are cells?
• How is matter and energy transferred through biological communities?
• How does each organism contribute to the stability of the entire community?

Math

The third module kicks off with our unit on geometry. We will be using the Connected Mathematics Program book, Covering and Surrounding. This unit focuses on two-dimensional measurement. Students will explore how to find the perimeter and area of various 2-dimensional polygons. In addition, we will explore how to find the surface area and volume of 3-dimensional shapes. Students will participate in the Plan a Park Project, in which they will create a scale drawing of their own city park. They will also calculate the area and perimeter of the different parts of their park. Students will apply their knowledge of measurement, scale drawings, perimeter and area to complete this project. At the end of the third module, students will work on computing with decimals and percents. We will use the Connected Mathematics Program book, Bits & Pieces III, to supplement the curriculum. There will be a challenge project for the third module that all students are encouraged to complete.

Art

This year, each 6th grade student will receive art class five days a week for one module out of the year. During that module, they will be studying the Elements of Art: Shape, line, color, value, texture and form. Each project will focus on one specific element. For example, our opening project is a book cover collage emphasizing shape. Students will be using these books throughout the module to record definitions of vocabulary they are learning and to reflect on their projects and their development as artists.

Spanish

In this module, we are beginning our introductory course in Spanish. Students will learn about the Spanish-speaking countries culture and we will focus on real-life situations to be able to have short conversations about school, weather, food and leisure activities. Students will also be able to develop their critical-thinking skills and make connections to their other academic subjects.

Technology

During their one module Technology class, sixth grade students build a foundation for using computers in their academic life at TSMS. In a directed series of low-stress assignments and projects, students practice typing, learn how to properly format papers, create presentations, and conduct Internet research. Students build proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and the Macintosh operating system. Additionally, students use our computer lab resources to express themselves creatively with graphic design, animation, and basic game programming. Overall, students are encouraged to experience the computer both as an academic tool and as a venue for active self-expression.

Physical Education

The 6th grade students are being introduced to the game of volleyball. They will play a modified version called newcomb, which will familiarize them with concepts like rotation and returning the ball after the serve. The students will also be learning skills like the underhand serve, overhead pass and the forearm pass.

Sixth Grade Curriculum Archive