In their capstone year at the Academy, sixth grade students truly partner with faculty and administration in the executing the mission of the school and serving and leading their peers in meaningful ways. This is a complex year where students ponder the significance of what they are able to accomplish and how to live in a way that truly honors the Lord.
Bookended by the overnight leadership retreat in August and the week-long DC trip in May, the sixth grade year is saturated with experiences that stretch our students to think more critically about their specific gifts and skills and the ways they can grow ever sharper as learners, as friends, and as agents of change in the world. While the academic and athletic opportunities at hand demand poise and thoughtful execution, all eyes begin looking to 7th grade and preparing for the significant transition that awaits them in the months ahead. An overview of the sixth grade core curriculum follows. If you desire particulars of the entire curriculum, please click on the Curriculum Map.
Bible
Sixth grade students continue to “connect the dots” in the New
Testament by learning what it means to be a follower of Christ in their
day-to-day lives. This topical curriculum draws from works of fiction, fairy
tales, biographies, sermons, film, and the Scriptures. It helps students grow
in spiritual disciplines, such as Scripture study, prayer, worship, and
service. It provides students with opportunities to examine basic Christian
theology, such as sin, salvation, sanctification, resurrection, and heaven.
Students are taught their responsibilities as members of the body of Christ,
such as loving and serving the Church, growing in community with other
believers, and sharing the gospel.
Language Arts
Not unlike grade five, grade six students
continue developing reading comprehension skills through a variety of
literature studies. Along with critical-thinking-skill development, they
continue to enhance their understanding of figurative language. Consistent with
grades four and five, the writing process is taught using the ERB
Writing Rubric and is coupled with ERB’s online writing practice program (WPP),
which utilizes technology and its motivating qualities in the service of
writing instruction. Grammar studies include diagramming sentences and vocabulary studies
include challenging or unfamiliar words taken from literature they are reading in
language arts classes. Student writing includes a variety of writing styles
such as descriptive, persuasive, story writing, poetry, and writing across the
curriculum.
Mathematics
Grade six math changes slightly to a
curriculum called Pre-Transition Mathematics. Because, like
Everyday Math, the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project developed
it, it articulates well with grade five mathematics. Pre-Transition Mathematics
also more closely resembles the format of curriculum that our sixth graders
will encounter as they matriculate as seventh graders to other area schools.
In
sixth grade math, students identify and work on uses of numbers and operations.
Fractions and percents are particularly emphasized. There is also a major
emphasis on dealing with data and geometry. Algebra is integrated throughout
the program as a way of describing generalizations, as a language for formulas,
and as an aid in solving simple equations.
Science
Sixth
grade science is a lab-based program that focuses on classification, cells,
bacteria, monera, protista, and fungi, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom,
human body systems, heredity, and properties and structure of matter.
History
In grades five and six, students are introduced to
world history. Grade six focuses on the time period from the Roman Empire up
until the discovery of America. Students learn basic map and geography skills,
practice making a timeline of history, are exposed to different cultures, and
are introduced to basic research skills. The grade six outline includes Roman
Empire, Medieval times, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Age of
Discovery. Sixth graders culminate the year wit a study of different places of
interest in Washington, D.C. in preparation for their extended field trip to
the nation’s capital.