SIXTH GRADE

This year promises to be full of new experiences and opportunities for students to illustrate their learning in many ways.   They will be acting out plays, writing essays of a personal or informative nature, using the computer lab to create graphs and PowerPoint presentations, researching and completing various long term projects;   you get the idea – we will be busy. 

Our Religion studies will focus on the Old Testament.  This is the history of our Roman Catholic faith; it is through understanding where we come from, that we can understand where we are. In our Religion classes my goal will be to guide your child to believe more deeply in Jesus and understand his/her role in developing a deeper relationship with Him.  Following Christ requires a spirit of loving concern for all people; as a class I hope we can uncover ways to show this concern within and outside of the classroom setting.

I hope to create an atmosphere in our classroom where natural and purposeful reading, writing, listening, speaking and thinking take place – a place where students become more articulate users of language, both written and spoken.  It will also be a place where each child will learn more about him/herself as we explore various themes through literature and writing. 

In Mathematics, the goal is to create a “comfort level” for each student.  We will continue working on computational skills with whole numbers, fractions and decimals.  Students will apply these skills in solving mathematical expressions written in algebraic form.  Throughout the units of study, students will be encouraged to communicate their thinking both verbally and in writing.  This will help to reinforce these “thinking” skills so they can be applied to more advanced mathematical problems.  We will continue in this manner with our studies of geometry, probability, data analysis and problem solving. 

Our work in Social Studies will be an introduction to Western Civilizations.  We will begin with the ancient civilizations.   Students will use the text as well as other research sources to learn about these cultures.  We will begin with the ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Egypt and advance through the Middle Ages, the Empires in Asia and the Americas.   We will also incorporate the study of current events in the classroom.  Students will be required to take a stand on a variety of issues throughout the year.  They will then have to defend their position both orally and in written form.  It is my hope that some of these conversations will continue at the dinner table at home. 

Our Science course will revolve around the study of Earth Science.  Students will learn about changes in the earth, ocean, atmosphere and our solar system.  We will incorporate inquiry based learning as often as possible.  

Sixth grade is the entrance point into the middle years’ academic program.  It will be challenging and rewarding for everyone.   Many things in the classroom are structured in a particular way to make the transition to these middle grades a successful one.   There will be many opportunities to develop self-discipline, responsibility and organizational skills.

I look forward to a year full of wonderful experiences as we work together throughout this school year.

                                                                  Mrs. Kersey