Curriculum

Grade 6

1^st Trimester

Religion -

Blest Are We is the series we will be using in the study of Old Testament history.  We will study Hebrew Scriptures that are the roots of our Salvation History.  Emphasis will be placed on the Liturgical Calendar and the Church Year.  Reflective journaling and personal prayer will be an integral part of the school day. We will begin Confirmation preparation and the study of saints including those people in the 20^th century who have served as examples of Christian living and service in the world.

Math -

Students will be using the Scott Foresman/Pearson Series.  Emphasis on everyday life math application will be a recurring theme throughout the year.  Computation, problem solving, and decision making skills will be important components of this curriculum area.  This trimester we will cover place value, exponents, estimation, order of operations, properties of operations, algebraic expressions, property of equality, solving algebra equations, decimal concepts and applications.

          The current Math series provides an interactive website for students containing a wide variety of on-line reinforcement activities and tools.  Students will have access to the website in school and at home.

Integrated Language Arts -

The students will use Elements of Literature – Introductory Course Anthology this year.  We will begin with the Moments of Truth collection – the theme.  These stories focus on decision-making events and experiences in people’s lives. Graphic organizers and our Grammar text Holt Elements of Language will be used with this anthology. Students will develop communication skills, writing and language skills, and listening skills.

Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop is our vocabulary series that aims to develop vocabulary skills that will be used in writing across the curriculum.

Language Arts is incorporated across the curriculum in sixth grade and we use various genres to provide both fiction and non-fiction links to social studies, math and science.

Science -

Our Science series is Houghton Mifflin Science.  Emphasis will be placed on learning how to think and work like a scientist.  We will review process skills and develop the steps of the scientific inquiry.  We will begin a unit study on the Dynamic Earth-Rocks and Minerals.  This includes concepts such as properties of rocks and minerals and the rock cycle. Our study will also include hands on activities in the science lab.

Social Studies -

World Studies is the series we will be using this year.  Our curriculum includes Europe and Russia, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa.  Students will develop and improve map skills to better identify and interpret political, physical, and special-purpose attributes of different regions.  We will read about and discuss the cultural, economic, geographic, political, and historical features of each of the countries.  This trimester we will focus on the continent of Africa.  We will engage in a mix of interactive activities to enable students to better understand our diverse world.