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6th Grade: the whole year

Every subject a 6th grade student takes, and what each one covers. Each subject is 180 daily lessons; open any course to see its units and lessons.

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Math

Math 6

A full year of 6th-grade math: ratios and percent, dividing fractions, negative numbers, expressions and equations, area and volume, and statistics, followed by a long stretch of review, enrichment projects and a year-end showcase.

  1. Ratios, rates & percent
  2. Fraction division, negative numbers & the coordinate plane
  3. Decimals, expressions & equations
  4. Area, volume & statistics
  5. Ratio applications & first cumulative reviews
  6. Enrichment projects & term reviews
  7. Expedition journal math & skills revisited
  8. More enrichment & review
  9. Final reviews & practice assessments
  10. Showcase, final quizzes & celebration

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Reading

Reading 6

A year of close reading for 6th grade: twelve short stories and several nonfiction text sets, used to practice citing evidence, finding theme, comparing texts and judging arguments. Many readings tie into American history.

  1. Core reading skills
  2. Stories, speeches & first-hand sources
  3. Debates, claims & how ideas spread
  4. Biomes, essays & interviews
  5. The last story & a year of review
  6. Review, assessment practice & year-end celebration

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Writing & Grammar

Writing 6

A year of 6th-grade writing that moves from opinion to argument, then tours narrative, informative, speech, script and journal writing. Pronoun grammar is taught along the way, and the last quarter is mostly review and portfolio work.

  1. Writing arguments
  2. Telling a story
  3. A tour of genres
  4. Cross-subject projects & first checkpoints
  5. Expedition journal & historical essay
  6. Interviews, time capsule & writing portfolio
  7. Review, certificate & year-end celebration

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Science

Science 6

A year of 6th-grade life science: cells, the body's systems, ecosystems and how they change, plus engineering design and several hands-on investigations. The second half leans heavily on review and reflection.

  1. Cells, energy & body systems
  2. Ecosystems
  3. Engineering design
  4. Body balance, case studies & first investigations
  5. Midyear review & reflection
  6. Ecosystems of the world
  7. Paper airplane investigation
  8. Trivia, goals & time capsule
  9. Biomimicry & board game design
  10. Final review, showcase & celebration

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History & Social Studies

History 6

A sixth-grade tour of ideas that changed the world, from ancient Greece, Rome and the Israelites through the Enlightenment, revolutions in France and Latin America, the Industrial Revolution and America's Gilded and Progressive Eras. Most eras are taught twice: a first look, then a deeper return.

  1. Greece and Rome: a first look
  2. The Enlightenment, French Revolution and new economic ideas
  3. Latin American independence and the Gilded Age: first look
  4. The Israelites, Jesus and early Christianity
  5. Ancient Greece and Rome in depth
  6. How geography shapes history, and the world's deserts
  7. Enlightenment, French Revolution and Romanticism in depth
  8. The Industrial Revolution
  9. Latin America, Haiti, Mexico and Ireland in depth
  10. The Gilded Age and Progressive Era in depth

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Electives at this grade

Add any of these alongside the core subjects.

Art

Art 6

A year of sixth-grade art: four ways to start a project, working with a partner, sgraffito, an infographic poster, honest self-review, preserving and presenting art, five world art traditions, interpreting and judging art by genre, and a capstone.

  1. Starting a project and working with a partner
  2. Sgraffito and caring for the environment
  3. Designing an infographic poster
  4. Does my art say what I mean?
  5. Preserving, presenting and exhibiting art
  6. Art around the world, and images that persuade
  7. Interpreting and judging art by genre
  8. Community art and art over time
  9. Capstone project

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Music

Music 6

A full year of 6th-grade music: AB and ABA form, composing two original pieces, reading the symbols on a page of music, music traditions from Ireland, Cuba, Japan and elsewhere, rehearsing and performing, and describing and judging music.

  1. AB and ABA form, building phrases
  2. Composition project in AB or ABA form
  3. Reading music symbols
  4. Traditions around the world and phrasing
  5. Rehearsing and performing
  6. Connecting music to their own life
  7. Classifying structure, genre, culture and period
  8. Interpreting and evaluating music
  9. Capstone composition and portfolio

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Spanish

Spanish 6

A first year of Spanish for beginners: the sound system, greetings, numbers, the calendar, family, food and weather, then regular -AR verbs and short written paragraphs about themselves, ending in a spoken capstone.

  1. Sounds, greetings & introductions
  2. Numbers to 100 & the calendar
  3. Colors, shapes, classroom & family
  4. Questions, weather, time & estar
  5. Food, drink, likes & tener
  6. Regular -AR verbs & the big three verbs
  7. Writing and listening: all about me
  8. Review, capstone & year-end

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PE & Health

PE & Health 6

A sixth-grade year of fitness and game tactics (outdoor workouts, fitness components, invasion, striking and net games), nutrition science, the heart and lungs, nicotine and vaping awareness, friendships, team skills, worry and stress, first aid and health advocacy.

  1. Fitness goal and outdoor workouts
  2. Movement sequences and nutrition basics
  3. Fitness components and invasion-game tactics
  4. Heart and lungs
  5. Throwing, striking and net-game skills
  6. Vaping, nicotine and alcohol awareness
  7. Fielding, teamwork, communication and friendships
  8. Self-expression, new activities, goal check-in and worry
  9. Showcase, first aid and health advocacy
  10. Cumulative review and goal reflection

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Social Skills

Social Skills 6-8

A social and emotional course meant to be used across 6th through 8th grade, at the pace that suits the child. It covers values and identity, stress and self-discipline, empathy, bias and bullying, peer pressure, friendship changes, boundaries, conflict resolution and hard choices.

  1. Values, identity & stress signals
  2. Managing stress & self-discipline
  3. Empathy, bias & bullying
  4. Peer pressure & changing friendships
  5. Needs, boundaries, conflict & feedback
  6. Hard choices & online life
  7. Year in review

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