Grade 6 curriculum
New York State learning standards outline what a student should know and be able to do by the end of the grade level. There are also additional skills that a well-rounded student should possess. Listed below are examples of academic expectations for sixth grade students. These should be viewed holistically and are not meant to determine promotion or retention; a student may demonstrate or be on track for proficiency without having mastered every skill. Teachers intervene as appropriate to support skills development.
Core classes
Students will:
- Continue to develop as readers, writers, listeners, speakers and thinkers;
- Strengthen comprehension and analytical skills;
- Broaden academic vocabulary and develop as strong writers; and
- Engage in a comprehensive research project and discussions driven by reading material that aligns with students’ readiness and interests.
Books sixth-graders will read include Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and excerpts from I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai.
Students will:
- Connect ratio and rate to whole-number multiplication and division and use concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems;
- Understand division of fractions and extend the notion of numbers to the system of rational numbers, including negative numbers;
- Write, interpret and use expressions and equations; and
- Develop understanding of statistical thinking.
Grade 6 Math Accelerated
This course will cover grade 6 math standards and priority standards from the grade 7 math standards to prepare students who may accelerate to Algebra I in grade 8.
Students will:
- Engage in scientific inquiry using lab tools, measurement and experimental design;
- Explore human body systems’ structures, functions and interactions;
- Study the impacts of nutrition, fitness and pathogens on human health;
- Learn about waves, light and sound;
- Investigate Earth’s layers and the geological process on Earth’s surface, including the study of weathering and plate tectonics; and
- Study the composition and formation of rocks, minerals and fossils.
Students in grade 6 Science complete a science project and have the opportunity to participate in the Joseph Henry Science Fair.
Students will:
- Study the geography and history of the Eastern Hemisphere from pre-history – history before written records – into the 1300s;
- Learn about the development of cultures, civilizations and empires;
- Compare trends in governments and economics; and
- Identify and analyze enduring issues to make connections between historical and current events.
Other required classes
This class focuses on health and skills for a healthy lifestyle, including goal-setting and planning, decision-making, effective communication, self-management, stress management and resource management.
The goal of grade 6 Physical Education is to expose students to a wide variety of physical activities to identify those that they enjoy to support lifetime fitness and health.
All grade 6 students take English Enrichment to support the transition from elementary to middle school. The class gives students the opportunity to enhance and enrich their foundational literacy skills using strategies taught by a reading teacher. Resources, assignments and projects are selected with students’ individual strengths and interests in mind. Computer Assisted Instruction is a component of English Enrichment. Students will log on to the i-Ready web-based program approximately 40 minutes each week to improve and enrich their skills in English Language Arts.
Select sixth-graders take Reading Enrichment to enhance their literacy skills using strategies taught by a reading teacher. Resources, assignments and projects are selected with students’ individual strengths and interests in mind.
All grade 6 students take Math Enrichment to support the transition from elementary to middle school. The class gives students the opportunity to develop, enhance and enrich their math skills. Resources, assignments and projects are selected with students’ individual strengths, areas of need and interests in mind. Computer Assisted Instruction is a component of Math Enrichment. Students will log on to the i-Ready web-based program approximately 40 minutes each week to improve and enrich their skills in math.
In place of Math Enrichment, select students will receive Math Skills Enrichment to develop foundational skills necessary to access grade-level curriculum and instruction. Resources, assignments and projects are selected with students’ individual strengths, areas of need and interests in mind.
Advancement Via Individual Determination – AVID for short – is a national kindergarten-high school initiative designed to increase the number of students who enroll and succeed in college and beyond.
Students meet daily in the AVID elective class and focus on these academic skills and content: writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading (WICOR). Students also engage in student-centered, inquiry-based tutoring sessions facilitated by regional college students. These activities support students in becoming college and career ready.
Electives
Art introduces students to elements of art and design historically and today, emphasizing the arts as a pathway for community and global connections.
Band in middle school provides students the opportunity to expand the skills acquired in elementary Band. As students develop more musical independence, they will be able to perform more complex and diverse musical pieces.
Students may be scheduled for Band and Chorus, or Orchestra and Chorus, but not Band and Orchestra. Instrumental students will be required to attend lessons in addition to their scheduled ensemble period and be responsible for making up any other missed class work.
Chorus in middle school allows students to explore basic vocal techniques in a variety of musical genres, including singing, music reading, vocabulary and theory.
Students may be scheduled for Band and Chorus, or Orchestra and Chorus, but not Band and Orchestra. Instrumental students will be required to attend lessons in addition to their scheduled ensemble period and be responsible for making up any other missed class work.
General Music students are introduced to a variety of world music through various forms of media. Students create, perform and participate in topics revolving around world music.
Orchestra in middle school provides students the opportunity to build on the skills acquired in elementary Orchestra. Musical independence is highlighted as teachers shift emphasis from single-line melody in all instruments to individual sections.
Students may be scheduled for Band and Chorus, or Orchestra and Chorus, but not Band and Orchestra. Instrumental students will be required to attend lessons in addition to their scheduled ensemble period and be responsible for making up any other missed class work.
