What We've Been Learning Lately!

English

In English the sixth graders just finished a unit on prepositional phrases.  This unit will be followed by a unit on personal and business writing, which will include a friendly letter, business letter, and business email.

Reading

The 6th graders are now working in literature circles on adventure-based novels.  Students work in a small group discussing, processing, and sharing their work on one of four different adventure novels.  At each "meeting" each student plays a different role in the group.  Students work on their listening skills as well as their leadership skills while carrying out these roles.  As the trimester continues, students will be regrouped to work on other novels.

Religion

In religion we have finished up our study of the season of Advent and are now continuing the story of Exodus and the Ten Commandments.  The test on the 10 Commandments is January 12th.  We will continue with Exodus and learn about the important people and actions that took place.

Science

In science we are continuing to work in the area of chemistry.  Right now we are studying carbon and organic compounds.  Then we will cover atoms and energy, where we study radioactivity as well as nuclear fission and fusion.

Math

In 6th grade Math, the classes are finishing up a chapter on number sense.  They have been analyzing tables of values to find patterns and write rules.  It is great preparation for when they learn Algebra in 7th and 8th grade. We will next review operations with fractions and decimals.  

Social Studies

For 6th grade social studies, the students recently finished a unit on ancient Rome for which they studied the major achievements, cultural traits, political strengths and weaknesses, and lasting impact of the Roman Empire.  They have recently started a unit on China, and are particularly focusing on the accomplishments of China’s dynasties.  They will also be examining the history of communism in China and its place in the world today.

The sixth graders recently held a debate on the pros and cons of the expansion of the Roman Empire.  They studied the historical background and arguments of this issue, and portrayed noteworthy people from that time.  Take a peek at the slide show below.       

WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING SO FAR!

Religion

We started the year in Genesis with the story of Creation.  We have been learning 

about our “Ancestors in Faith” -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph -- and the role God played in their lives, particularly as it applies to our faith today. 

Now our study is focused on Moses and the second book of the Bible, Exodus.  We are learning about God fulfilling his promise to his people for being faithful to the Covenant, a promise carried down since the time of Abraham.

Math

At the beginning of the year, the focus in Math was on Geometry.  We practiced measuring and naming angles as well as estimating and calculating the perimeter of various polygons. We are now discussing fractions, decimals, and the relationship between the two.  Next up we will start identifying number patterns and writing rules for those patterns.  It will give the the 6th graders a glimpse into what they will learn in Algebra in 7th and 8th grade.  

Science

The first chapter this year was an introduction to chemistry and the vocabulary necessary to learn the concepts.  We have learned about the physical properties of matter, atoms, molecules, elements, compounds and mixtures, and the states of matter. 

Now our studies will focus on chemical reactions, chemical properties, organic compounds, and nuclear energy.

Next we’ll progress to physics.

Reading

6th graders continue to build on their reading and vocabulary skills while also transitioning into a literature class setting.  Students use both short stories and novels to strengthen their oral fluency, comprehension, and efficacy.  They will also begin looking more deeply into literature by analyzing themes, literary techniques, and point of view.  Classes will be reading the same first two novels and will then be broken down into flexible literature circles for small group novels as the trimester progresses.

English

For the first part of the year, the sixth graders had been working on dictionary skills.  Currently they are working on writing a composition about their favorite restaurant.  So far, they have done pre-writing, outlines, and several drafts.  They are progressing well.

Social Studies

So far this year the sixth graders did a large unit on the Ancient Egyptians (for which, among other things, they created dioramas of Egyptian tombs) and currently we are finishing unit a on Ancient Greece.  The students have already studied Greek myths and examined the Persian and Peloponnesian wars.  In the upcoming weeks, they will be holding debates based on Greek philosophy and soon after that they’ll examine the political innovations of the Greeks.  After Greece, we’ll be studying China, both its ancient dynasties and its modern place in our world.