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Assessment
In sixth grade, we administer several state and district level assessments in reading and math to aid teachers’ understanding of your child’s strengths and needs in order to design instruction accordingly. Students participate in AIMSWeb Reading Curriculum-Based Measurement, where they are asked to read grade-level passages to assess their accuracy. The AIMSWeb Math Concepts and Applications assessment focuses on mathematical concepts and how to apply different strategies to problem-solve. MAP testing, aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards, assesses students in both reading and mathematics and is an adaptive test given in the winter and spring.
The Illinois State Board of Education requires the district to administer the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) assessment in the spring, which is built to evaluate students on the Illinois Learning Standards and measures whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers. All students are tested in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The State Board of Education also requires the district to administer required fitness testing (FitnessGram) in the fall and spring as part of the physical education program. This assessment measures health-related fitness for youth through multiple tests measuring aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility.
Fine Arts
All students will experience all 6 disciplines (Art, Communication Media Arts, Digital Arts & Design, Drama, Music, and STEM) by the end of year. Each hexter lasts about 6 weeks in order for students to experience all creative arts disciplines. Students in grades 5-8 also have the opportunity to join band. The band program offers students the chance to participate in a variety of ensembles that perform a wide range of music.
Literacy
Reading
Reading instruction in sixth grade includes the following:
- Direct, explicit instruction in the strategies and skills of proficient reading
- Opportunities to talk in response to texts
- Study of multiple genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories)
- Reading informational books and building a knowledge base and academic vocabulary through information reading
- Assessment-based instruction including feedback that is tailored to students specific strengths and needs
- Reading of increasingly complex texts
- Access to books that allow students to have a high volume of high-success reading
Our sixth grade classrooms utilize McDougal Littell Literature and teacher selected novels for reading instruction.
Writing
Sixth grade classrooms utilize The Writers’ Express (WEX) for writing instruction. The following are the three writing units: Response to Nonfiction, Response to Fiction, and Personal Narrative. Students progress in skills and development within these key areas of writing.
The Writers’ Express curriculum tracks each student’s progress through the carefully selected sequence of skills, using a cycle of daily, low-stakes practice assessments with targeted, authentic feedback. This method allows students to work at their own pace, moving back and forth between technical skills and expressive abilities to develop distinctive writing voices with The WEX® Method.
Math
6th Grade Math
Big Ideas Math
The Big Ideas Math program, written by Ron Larson and Laurie Boswell, utilizes a research-based, balanced instructional approach that includes both discovery learning and scaffolded lessons. Big Ideas Math® is dedicated to the balanced approach to instruction. Activities and Explorations involve student-directed discovery learning, allowing students to develop conceptual understanding. The discovery learning is followed by scaffolded instruction, giving students the opportunity to utilize clear, precise mathematics language and structure.
Curriculum Resource: Big Ideas
6th Grade Common Core
ISBN: 9781608404490
6th Grade Coursework
Chapter 1: Numerical Expressions and Factors
Chapter 2: Fractions and Decimals
Chapter 3: Algebraic Expressions and Properties
Chapter 5: Ratios and Rates
Chapter 6: Integers and the Coordinate Plane
Chapter 7: Equations and Inequalities
Chapter 4: Areas of Polygons
Chapter 8: Surface Area and Volume
Chapter 9: Statistical Measures
Chapter 10: Data Displays
6th Grade Advanced Math
Big Ideas Math
The Big Ideas Math program, written by Ron Larson and Laurie Boswell, utilizes a research-based, balanced instructional approach that includes both discovery learning and scaffolded lessons. Big Ideas Math® is dedicated to the balanced approach to instruction. Activities and Explorations involve student-directed discovery learning, allowing students to develop conceptual understanding. The discovery learning is followed by scaffolded instruction, giving students the opportunity to utilize clear, precise mathematics language and structure.
Curriculum Resource: Big Ideas
Pre-Algebra
ISBN: 9781608405053
Pre-Algebra Coursework
Chapter 1: Integers
Chapter 2: Rational Numbers
Chapter 3: Expressions and Equations
Chapter 4: Inequalities
Chapter 5: Rations and Proportions
Chapter 6: Percents
Chapter 10: Probability and Statistics
Chapter 12: Angles and Triangles
Chapter 15: Volume and Similar Solids
Chapter 14: Real Numbers and the Pythagorean Theorem
Chapter 11: Transformations
Physical Education
Middle school students attend Physical Education classes every day in order to further develop their movement skills, teamwork, and physical fitness. During one quarter each year, middle school students join a Health class that incorporates physical activity but has a larger focus on nutrition, drug and alcohol awareness, personal and social responsibility, and self-management skills.
Science
IQWST
Through IQWST™ students investigate questions relevant to their lives by conducting investigations; collecting and analyzing data; developing and using models to explain phenomena, and engaging in argument from evidence in a literacy and discourse-rich environment. Lessons are organized into thematic units that support students as they build understanding of core ideas in science as well as understanding and use of scientific practices. Students also pursue their own original questions in units that integrate the fundamentals of Physical Sciences, Life Science, and Earth & Space Science.
6th grade chemistry: How can I smell things from a distance?
This introduction to chemistry focuses on one of the core ideas in physical science- the particle nature of matter. Students experience, model, and explain a variety of lab and everyday phenomena related to core ideas about matter and its interactions.
6th grade earth: How does water shape our world?
In order to provide real world experiences, students are given the task of creating materials for visitor centers in specific national parks. Students explore how water moves in the parks, what rock is present, and how water and rock interact.
6th grade physical: Can I believe my eyes?
Students understand how light moves through space, the conditions that need to be met to be able to see something, and a model of the relationship between light and vision. Students complete several investigations, each time cycling back to the driving question: Can I believe my eyes?
6th grade life: Where have all the creatures gone?
This project based life science unit focuses on ecosystems. Specifically, on organisms’ needs for survival and what happens when the needs are not met. Over the course of the unit, students investigate why food is important, how different structures are needed by organisms to eat and reproduce, and the types of relationships between organisms.
Social Studies
The middle grades provide a bridge between the elementary and high school experiences. Therefore, standards focus on the developmental need of middle grade students: to cultivate the critical thinking skills used by social scientists through the inquiry process. The disciplinary concepts of civics, economics, geography, and history are integrated within the curriculum.
Aligning social studies to the Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science is a process that takes time. As such, grades 6-8 are ending a textbook cycle with Holt as their main resource. Beginning in 2017-2018, they will be using TCI History Alive! While the themes will be the same, chapter numbers and unit names will change.
6th grade: Holt’s Ancient Civilizations: Through the Renaissance - (ISBN:0-03-092302-6)
Chapter 1- Uncovering the Past
Chapter 2- The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Chapter 3- Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
Chapter 4- Ancient Egypt and the Kush
Chapter 5- Ancient India
Chapter 6- Ancient China
Chapter 7- The Hebrews and Judaism
Chapter 8- Ancient Greece
Chapter 9- The Greek World
Chapter 10- The Roman Republic
Chapter 11- Rome and Christianity
Chapter 12- The Islamic World
Chapter 13- Early African Civilizations
Chapter 14- China
Chapter 15- Japan
Chapter 16- The Early Americas
Chapter 17- The Early Middle Ages
Chapter 18- The Later Middle Ages
Chapter 19- The Renaissance and Reformation
World Language
Introductory – Sixth Grade
Unit 1: Global Citizenship: Who am I?
Students will begin by exploring who they are, where they live, their nationality and heritage. They will then become a citizen of the world in preparation for traveling and living abroad. They will consider the advantages of knowing more than one language and identify where their new language is spoken. They will learn to introduce themselves and to meet others using their new language and will be able to exchange personal information such as emails and phone numbers. They will be able to talk about their age and give the date of their birthday to new acquaintances. They will talk about likes and dislikes related to school and compare/contrast what they want to do.
Unit 2: Who am I?: How do I identify myself?
Students will begin to consider who they are as they describe themselves and others by physical appearance and personality traits by the things that they like and don’t like to do. They will consider how someone can be stereotyped by such traits. They will also learn to name and describe pets and will consider how pets are also stereotyped in familiar expressions. They will also discuss pets they have, like and prefer. Finally, they will discuss their schedules and typical daily activities and will be able to make plans with others.
Unit 3: Family and Friendship: Why are family and friendship important? How do family and friends celebrate?
Students will learn to talk about their relationships and will be able to say why family and friendship is important. They will be able to describe the physical and personal characteristics of their family and friends and will learn about families around the world. They will talk about their personal space and possessions and will make simple comparisons to the possessions of others in different parts of the world. Finally, they will consider how their family and friends and others celebrate.
Unit 4: Vacation Time: How do I begin to explore another place and culture?
Students will consider a variety of summer experiences and decide what makes for a great vacation destination. They will pick an ideal vacation destination where the target language is spoken and create a packing list for that destination. They will comment on where they are going and what they are doing there. Then, they will work with others to plan all that they are going do while they are on vacation.
