Course Catalog

In Grade 5 ELA, students use their knowledge of word origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level-appropriate words. Reading will have special focus on informational texts, and students will describe and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose. As they expand on their comprehension abilities, students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature, and will clarify ideas and make connections between literary works. Students will write clear, coherent, and focused essays that contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Additionally, students will write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts of at least 500 to 700 words in each genre, and deliver well-organized formal presentations employing traditional rhetorical strategies.

In Grade 5 Math, students will apply their understanding of fractions and fraction models to represent the addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators as equivalent calculations with like denominators; develop understanding of why division procedures work based on the meaning of base-ten numerals and properties of operations and finalize fluency with multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; and recognize and measure volume as an attribute of three-dimensional space.

Students in grade five study the development of the nation up to 1850, with an emphasis on the people who were already here, when and from where others arrived, and why they came. Students learn about the colonial government founded on Judeo Christian principles, the ideals of the Enlightenment, and the English traditions of self government. They recognize that ours is a nation that has a constitution that derives its power from the people, that has gone through a revolution, that once sanctioned slavery, that experienced conflict over land with the original inhabitants, and that experienced a westward movement that took its people across the continent. Studying the cause, course, and consequences of the early explorations through the War for Independence and western expansion is central to students’ fundamental understanding of how the principles of the American republic form the basis of a pluralistic society in which individual rights are secured.

In Grade 5 Science, students understand that elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world; plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal, and transport of materials; water on Earth moves between the oceans and land through the processes of evaporation and condensation; energy from the Sun heats Earth unevenly, causing air movements that result in changing weather patterns; and the solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable paths. Students continue to practice scientific inquiry by developing testable questions, planning and conducting simple investigations, identifying variables, recording data, drawing conclusions from scientific evidence, and writing investigative reports.

Semester 1 is adopted from code.org Computer Science Fundamentals Course F.
The course begins by looking at how users make choices in the apps they use. Students then learn to make a variety of Sprite Lab apps that also offer choices for the user. In the later lessons in the course, students will learn more advanced concepts, including variables and “for” loops.

Semester 2 in adopted from Introduction to Computer Science in JavaScript from codehs.org

In sixth grade English/Language Arts, students read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their studies of history and social science, and connect the essential ideas, arguments, and perspectives of the texts by using their knowledge of text structure, organization, and purpose, as well as literary elements. Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts, as well as clear, coherent, and focused essays that contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students also deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey ideas clearly and relate to the background and interests of the audience, and evaluate the content of oral communication.

In Math 6, students use reasoning about multiplication and division to solve ratio and rate problems about quantities; use the meaning of fractions, the meanings of multiplication and division, and the relationship between multiplication and division to understand and explain why the procedures for dividing fractions make sense, and use the operations to solve problems; and write expressions and equations that correspond to given situations, evaluate expressions, use expressions and formulas to solve problems, and demonstrate an understanding of variables. Students also begin to think statistically and build on their primary knowledge of relationships among shapes to determine area, surface area, and volume.

Students in grade six expand their understanding of history by studying the people and events that ushered in the dawn of the major Western and non-Western ancient civilizations. Geography is of special significance in the development of the human story. Continued emphasis is placed on the everyday lives, problems, and accomplishments of people, their role in developing social, economic, and political structures, as well as in establishing and spreading ideas that helped transform the world forever. Students develop higher levels of critical thinking by considering why civilizations developed where and when they did, why they became dominant, and why they declined. Students analyze the interactions among the various cultures, emphasizing their enduring contributions and the link, despite time, between the contemporary and ancient worlds.

Grade 6 builds on the foundational skills learned in the primary science curriculum, while focusing on the study of Earth Sciences. Students study plate tectonics and the Earth’s structure, the shaping of the Earth’s surface, thermal energy, energy in the Earth system, ecology, and natural resources. Students expand on the scientific process by developing a hypothesis, selecting appropriate tools and technology to perform tests and collect data, constructing appropriate graphs, recognizing whether evidence is consistent with their hypothesis, and communicating the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral presentations.

Students in this course will engage in learning experiences within two units: growth and development and drug prevention. Students will learn about physical, social, and emotional changes that occur during adolescence during the growth and development unit. Students will be taught factual information about the negative effects of drug usage and equip them with a variety of refusal skills to equip them to make safe, healthy decisions in future situations in which drugs may be present or available.

During the 6th Grade Foods class, students study nutritional guidelines, cooking terms, kitchen equipment, ingredient measurement, and kitchen safety. They then apply this knowledge by participating in hands-on food labs.