Sixth Grade Curriculum Guide

The Catholic School is a unique faith-centered community, which integrates thinking and believing in ways that encourage intellectual growth, nurture faith, and inspire action.

The commitment to academic excellence, which fosters the intellectual development of all students, is an integral part of the mission of our school.

Religion

Sixth grade religion uses the Sophia Institute curriculum.  The text is in accordance with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and guides students to spend the year immersed in God’s Word in Sacred Scripture, and explore how the Bible, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, records God’s plan of salvation.

Your child will:

  • Explore the ancient civilizations of the first humans, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, and Israel through research, projects, art, lecture, and essays
  • Discover what we have gained from these civilizations and how they impact our lives
  • Understand how a civilizations’ beliefs and culture leads to its actions and decisions
  • Practice various reading and writing strategies for non-fiction texts

Math

Your child will:

  • Use multiplication and division in a variety of applications
  • Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers; see how they are related
  • Solve single variable equations
  • Engage in a variety of beginning Geometry activities
  • Create and interpret graphs using graphing terminology
  • Describe and list prime and composite numbers, factors, and multiples

Science

Your child will learn about:

  • Scientific Method and skills
  • Laboratory Safety
  • Forces and machines
  • Magnetism and motors
  • Buoyancy, Water Displacement, Density as it relates to floating and sinking
  • Plant anatomy and function

Language Arts

Your child will:

  • Recognize the major parts of speech with an emphasis on correct sentence structure
  • Apply the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing
  • Write using the correct form of paragraphs: topic sentences, supporting details, and concluding sentences
  • Write narrative essays as well as a variety of expository paragraphs
  • Apply correct writing conventions: spelling, capitalization, and punctuation

Literature

Your child will:

  • Practice strategies for reading a variety of literary forms: short stories, novels, non-fiction, and poetry
  • Develop skills for effective reading comprehension: identification of central idea and theme, drawing inferences and conclusions, and comparison of a variety of texts.
  • Develop word knowledge and word recognition skills to read fluently
  • Build vocabulary through reading, context clues, word origins, and structural analysis
  • Read for enrichment and enjoyment

Spelling

Your child will:

  • Utilize a spelling curriculum that targets most frequently misspelled words
  • Focus on common spelling patterns, generalizations, and spelling strategies

Activities

  • KOSTKA Club
  • Band & Strings
  • Peace partner activities
  • Science Fair

Computer Technology

We offer students a 1 to 1 opportunity to enhance learning possibilities.  Your child will:

  • Practice typing skills and set personal goals for growth.
  • Utilize a variety of programs to present materials (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
  • Practice utilizing research skills to identify information from proper websites and utilize a variety of programs to increase skills/knowledge.

Art

Each student will have one quarter of Art in which they will be exposed to many different mediums and will produce items for public display.  Sixth grade art curriculum will focus on increasing your child’s confidence in drawing and painting skills.  Your child will do projects which include:

  • Color analysis and theory
  • Art History
  • Abstract art
  • Painting
  • Oil pastel
  • Drawing
  • One point and aerial perspective
  • Applying the elements and principles of art

P.E.

Each student will have 2 quarters of P.E. class with their homeroom class.  Students will be required to change into P.E. clothes (health and hygiene purposes).  Students will be expected to participate at their current skill level, show growth in their skills, and show appropriate sportsmanship behavior during class.

Drama

Students receive one quarter of Drama instruction.  They will focus on beginning theater.  The basics of theatre  – onstage and backstage will be presented.  Students will be expected to participate in a performance at the end of the quarter, either onstage or assisting behind the scenes.

Message to Parents

Sixth grade is an important transition year from self-contained classrooms to the Middle School model.  The students have two teachers for their core subjects, but have at least three other teachers to be responsible to as well.  It is an important time to practice appropriately allocating enough time for each subject, work with a variety of teaching styles, and become more independent in their learning environment.