6th Grade

List of 8 items.

• Literature (English)

  Sixth grade literature centers on characters who undergo monumental shifts in perspective, inviting students to map turning points and motivation. Readers move beyond the literal, interpreting symbols, subtext, and the choices an author makes. Student-led Socratic seminars put the conversation in students’ hands, where they must support ideas and respond to one another with evidence. The result is a confident, discerning reader who can find meaning beneath the surface.

• Writing (English)

  In sixth grade, writing becomes more structured and more persuasive. Students master the RACES paragraph, restating, answering, citing, and explaining, then expand it into full, evidence-based literary essays. Grammar and mechanics are taught in context, as tools that make a message clear and convincing. Students learn that command of language is a form of power, and they use it with growing purpose and precision.

• Mathematics

  Sixth grade formalizes the language of relationships. Students work with the full system of rational numbers, use ratio and rate to compare quantities, and write and solve expressions and inequalities whose answers can be a range rather than a single value. They plot points across all four quadrants and build nets to find surface area. Applying proportional reasoning to real financial situations, students learn to judge when a solution is reasonable.

• Science

  Sixth grade science opens the hidden world revealed by the microscope. Students study how cellular structures keep organisms alive and how characteristics determine an organism’s survival and classification. Precise measurement and the correct use of tools are emphasized so that results are accurate and trustworthy. Rotating through collaborative lab roles, students learn to isolate variables and defend their findings, the habits of a careful, purposeful scientist.

• Social Studies

  Students examine how medieval societies rebuilt power after collapse and how rulers in Europe and Japan justified their authority. They follow trade routes that connected distant cultures and keep first-person logs to understand exchange from the inside. Using evidence, students test and overturn historical myths rather than accepting them. Producing mini-documentaries and leading debates builds confident communicators who weigh sources with a critical eye.

• World Language (Spanish)

  Sixth grade Spanish moves from words to sentences as students describe their personal world. They explore the values behind cultural traditions and celebrations, connecting language to real communities. Reading and performing a short script gives students the confidence to use Spanish before an audience. Research on service and global citizenship helps students see the language as a bridge to the wider world.

• Fine Arts

  Sixth grade fine arts opens up to a variety of programs including band, visual art, theatre, or chorus. In Visual Art, students develop technique while learning to express ideas through a variety of media. Band students continue with their instrument, read music, and perform in an ensemble; Chorus students strengthen vocal technique and musicianship through singing; and Theatre students build confidence, communication, creativity, and collaboration as they explore acting, movement, and stage performance.

• Physical Education

  Sixth grade physical education builds on fundamental skills with greater attention to team strategy. Students coordinate offense and defense, learn positional play, and take on early leadership in warm-ups and drills. Tournament play continues to develop sportsmanship, fair play, and accountability. Students push to beat their own fitness records, learning to value every teammate’s contribution.