Grade 6 Curriculum










Language Arts (English)

Literature

  • Understand themes of conflict in literature: e.g., man vs. man, man vs. society, nature vs. fate
  • Understand and use literary terms, e.g. plot, theme, character, setting, conflict, climax; be able to identify these elements in literature
  • Write journal entries from opposing perspectives in response to literature
  • Compare/contrast literary genres
  • Compare/contrast authors’ styles
  • Use literature to enhance understanding of other cultures and times, including Greek mythology
  • Connect literature to our lives
  • Identify similarities and differences in the characters studied all year; recognize how they reflect the society of the times

Students analyze literature working cooperatively in book club discussions. They share responsibility for determining the reading assignments. Each student has a different responsibility to the group: discussion director, passage leader, character guide, word finder, connector.

Writing

  • Follow the writing process with particular emphasis on proofreading and editing
  • Use literature to model good writing: show, don’t tell
  • Utilize good topic sentences and supporting details; use transitions
  • Use a variety of sentence structures/lengths
  • Enhance writing with modifiers and sentence introductions
  • Order details depending on the goal of the writing piece
  • Use figurative language in writing prose: personification, similes, and metaphors
  • Use Worldly Wise program to build vocabulary; emphasize use of new words until they become part of everyday working vocabulary

Mathematics

Effective techniques for problem solving are integrated into each unit.

  • Use prime factorization to find GCF and LCM
  • Perform all operations with fractions, decimals, mixed numerals
  • Investigate the relationships among fractions, decimals, and percents; move flexibly among representations
  • Understand the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic: every number has exactly one prime factorization
  • Determine whether a number is prime or composite, even or odd, and square or non-square based on its factor pairs
  • Find area and circumference of circles
  • Understand the relationship between experimental and theoretical probabilities; distinguish between single, specific outcomes and sets of outcomes that comprise an event
  • Generalize the conditions under which the product of two numbers is larger than both factors, between the factors, or smaller than both factors
  • Explore maxima/minima questions in the context of finding the largest and smallest perimeters for rectangles of a fixed area and largest and smallest areas for a fixed perimeter
  • Understand that triangles are stable figures that keep their shape under stress
  • Discover that quadrilaterals and other polygons are not stable shapes and become distorted under stress
  • Learn the vocabulary of isosceles, equilateral, scalene triangles, and obtuse, right, acute angles
  • Use stem-and-leaf plots to group numerical data in intervals
  • Identify mean, median, mode and know when to use each; use the ordered data in a stem plot to locate measures of center (median and mode) and measure of spread

Tanakh

Study Samuel I, Samuel II, Kings (selections from 1-9)

  • Discuss and understand: life in the Biblical period; transition from tribal and local rule to kingship; successes and failures of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon; continued influence of the Prophet Samuel after his death; advantages and disadvantages of monarchy; building of the Temple; division of the kingdom; centrality of Jerusalem
  • Use midrashim and other interpretations to better understand the text
  • Recognize and distinguish between Biblical and modern Hebrew

Hebrew

  • Understand the history and geography of the Land of Israel and their relationship to modern Israel
  • Learn about the expulsion from Spain
  • Appreciate the relationship between history and literature
  • Increase reading comprehension by reading short stories, poems, and chapter books
  • Expand and enrich Hebrew vocabulary
  • Review conjugations in present, past, and future tense using various binyanim (verb patterns)
  • Reinforce the importance of agreement between subjects and verbs and between nouns and adjectives
  • Develop writing skills using enriched language and correct grammar

Torah She'b'al Peh (Oral Torah)

  • Understand how the Oral Torah complements the written Torah.
  • Explore historical development and organization of Oral Torah.
  • Learn to “decode” the often terse language of the Mishnah.
  • Utilize commentaries to enhance understanding of the text.
  • Develop familiarity with some of the main personalities of the Mishnah, e.g. Hillel and Shammai, Rabban Gamliel, Rabbis Yehuda, Meir, Akiva.
  • Recognize the importance of minority opinion.

Tefillot (Prayers)

Twenty-five minute teaching sessions follow the daily recitation of Tefillot on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Students learn more about the meaning of the prayers and participate in activities related to them.

Sixth grade students rotate through four topics with approximately 30 sessions per rotation: Parashat Hashavua; meaning of prayers; ta’ameei hanmikrah (tropes); yahid and yahad (singular and plural in prayers).

On Mondays and Thursdays there is a whole group service that includes Torah reading.

Science

Earth Science

  • Distinguish between porosity and permeability; understand how water moves underground
  • Understand how water is subject to pollution; understand plumes and how pollutants move through clean water pulled by a well
  • Perform serial dilutions to understand parts per million
  • Recognize the importance of potable water and the need to protect our water supply

Life Science

  • Know the 5 kingdoms: monerans, protista, fungi, animals, plants
  • Recognize that species must reproduce
  • Recognize characteristics of insects (6 legs/3 body parts); understand the role of insects in the ecosystem
  • Capture, observe, and experiment with insects; draw insects to scale
  • Understand the functions of different areas of the brain; perform experiments assessing individual learning styles
  • Understand how the brain processes information for hearing and sight

Physical Science

  • Read an electric meter; encourage families to conserve
  • Distinguish between parallel and series circuits; identify short circuits
  • Understand that resistors are used to regulate the amount of current flow
  • Understand that with voltage drop, equal resistances divide voltage equally and unequal resistances divide voltage unequally, proportional to size
  • Understand LED’s (light emitting diodes) and other components that distribute and regulate current

Social Studies

Themes: World Geography; Ancient Greece

  • Identify the five themes of geography: location, place, region, human environmental interaction, movement
  • Identify the tools and techniques used by geographers
  • Map the regions of the U.S. and the world
  • Engage in “mental mapping”
  • Describe the internal and external structure of the earth; explain how internal forces create and change landforms; identify different landforms
  • Understand plate tectonic theory
  • Understand weathering and erosion
  • Distinguish between weather and climate; identify major factors that influence climate; describe the types of climate regions
  • Understand the greenhouse effect and global warming
  • Differentiate population size vs. density; identify causes of rapid population growth
  • Identify the four characteristics that define a country; explain differences among various types of governments
  • Explain how capitalist, communist, and socialist systems try to address society’s economic questions
  • Identify renewable and nonrenewable resources; describe the distribution of natural resources around the world
  • Create a culture based on a theme
  • Research and write a report about a country
  • Examine the development of the Greek city-state; compare Athens and Sparta
  • Study aspects of Greek warfare and the conflicts between Greece and Persia
  • Understand Athenian democracy; explain why the Golden Age of Athens ended
  • Review modern Middle East history
  • Discuss current events

Fine Arts

Music

  • Focus on music that communicates a story: opera, symphonic selections, other songs
  • Learn basic guitar skills (fall) and keyboard skills (spring)

Art

Three-year cycle for grades 6, 7, 8:

  • Year 1: Linoleum block prints with Judaic theme
  • Year 2: Oil sticks on canvas with Hebrew and English quotes
  • Year 3: Silk painting on the theme of the 12 tribes, Hebrew zodiac

Throughout the program, students examine works by known artists.

Physical Education

Three-year cycle for grades 6, 7, 8:

  • History, rules/regulations, and skills work for flag football, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, floor and roller hockey, ultimate Frisbee; demonstrate skills necessary to play a regulation type game
  • Cardiovascular and resistance training: weight lifting, exercises for specific muscle groups; yoga-weight training, mile run, aerobic training; maintain workout logs – track heart rate

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