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6th grade Quarter 1 Academic Newsletter
Dear Families:
At the beginning of every quarter, we will create a newsletter that outlines the academic topics and concepts to be learned for the following quarter.
ELA General and Honors: In Quarter 1, students will
Show different examples from a literary text (i.e. story, poem, drama, etc.) to support their thoughts about what the text says.
Identify specific parts of the text to find clues that support their thoughts about what they have read.
Identify the theme(s) of a text and how the theme(s) develop(s) as they read a text.
Summarize the theme(s) from a text using key details and information that does not include their opinions or judgments (objective summary).
Use context clues (i.e. overall meaning of text, word’s position, word’s function) to define unknown words and phrases.
Show different examples from an informational text (i.e. article, essay, speech, etc.) to support their thoughts about what the text says.
Identify two or more main ideas of an informational text.
Summarize the main ideas(s) from a text using key details and information that does not include their opinions or judgments (objective summary).
Write stories about their real life or from their imagination using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences (narrative essay).
Introduce a narrator, characters, the setting, and the problem to engage readers which helps them understand the story.
Use a plot that is organized and makes sense.
Use dialogue, pacing, and manipulation of time to develop experiences, events, and/or characters which would make the story entertaining to readers.
Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
Improve their writing skills through planning, revising, and editing while building on personal ideas and the ideas of others.
Use imagery, precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to make experiences, events, and characters come alive.
Write a conclusion that reflects on the narrated experiences or events.
Write subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns in the proper case.
Social Studies: In Quarter 1, students will
identify common characteristics of civilizations
determine the roles the environment and technology played in the development of early river valley civilizations.
analyze how early river valley civilizations adapted to meet their needs.
assess the patterns of influence of technological and cultural advancements on early and classical civilizations and how they developed over time.
evaluate the influence of advancements and achievements of the four classical civilizations of China, Greece, India and Rome.
contextualize the origins and spread of major world religions and their enduring influence.
Science: In Quarter 1, students will
write a Hypothesis
develop models that exemplify the atmosphere properties and the relative scale in relation to the size of the Earth
analyze scientific arguments based on evidence for and against how different phenomena (natural and human) may contribute to the composition of Earth’s atmosphere
construct explanations of the processes involved in the cycling of water through Earth’s systems
analyze and interpret data from weather conditions (wind speed, air temperature, humidity, cloud types, air pressure) weather maps, satellites, and radar to make predictions
develop and use models to explain how relationships between movement and interactions of air masses, high and low pressure systems, and frontal boundaries result in weather conditions and storms
develop and use models to represent how solar energy and convection impact Earth’s weather patterns and climate conditions
construct explanations for how climate is determined in an area (e.g. latitude, elevation, shape of the land, distance from water, global winds, ocean currents
In General Math, students will:
learn to find areas of polygons by decomposing, rearranging, and composing shapes.
learn to understand and use the terms “base” and “height,” and find areas of parallelograms and triangles.
approximate areas of non-polygonal regions by polygonal regions.
represent polyhedra with nets and find their surface areas
Learn to recognize when two ratios are or are not equivalent.
represent ratios as expressions, and represent equivalent ratios with double number line diagrams, tape diagrams, and tables.
use these terms and representations in reasoning about situations involving color mixtures, recipes, unit pricing, and constant speed.
In Honors Math, students will:
earn the same skills/concepts as General Math plus…
learn to understand and use the terms “unit rate,” “speed,” “pace,” “percent,” and “percentage,” and recognize that equivalent ratios have equal unit rates.
represent percentages with tables, tape diagrams, and double number line diagrams, and as expressions.
use these terms and representations in reasoning about situations involving unit price, constant speed, and measurement conversion
Questions? Please contact your child's teacher(s) or the instructional coach, Sonja Raines at sonja_raines@charleston.k12.sc.us or 843-406-2105.
6th Grade Teachers
Core Subjects:
Mrs. Bridges: Social Studies and grade level chair
Mr. During: Social Studies
Mrs. Blasingame: Social Studies and English Language Arts (ELA)
Mrs. Stanford: ELA (English Language Arts)
Mrs. Reidy: ELA (English Language Arts)
Mrs. Reed-Davis: Math
Mr. Soper: Math
Ms. Reeves: Math and Science
Ms. Harley: Science
Mr. D'Amato: Science
Special Education Teachers:
Ms. Vicary
Vacant
Ms. Blakely
Mrs. Billings
Mr. Stoyles
Intervention:
Mrs. Johnson: Reading
Mrs. Greene-Cummings: Math
Ms. Bagley: Academics/Organization
Related Arts:
PE/Health: Coach Duffy and Coack Siegel
Art: Mr. Brown
PLTW: Ms. Israel
Keyboarding: Ms. Fissel and Mr. Hastings
French: Mrs. Ready
Spanish: Mrs. Spain
Band: Ms. Spitzer
Strings: Ms. Lynch
Chorus: Mrs. Downs
Support:
Media Specialist: Mrs. Bouton
Media Clerk: Ms. Bailey
Guidance Counselor: Mrs. Fennessey
Administrator: Mr. Westergaard
Important Dates To Remember in Quarter 1
Wednesday, August 31st: MAP Math testing
Thursday, September 1st: MAP ELA testing
Monday, September 5th: NO SCHOOL
Thursday, September 8th: Open House at 6:00 pm
Friday, September 23rd: Early Release at 1:30 pm (Teacher Workday)
Friday, October 7th: Early Release at 1:30 pm (Teacher Workday)
Wednesday, October 19th: End of 1st Quarter
Thursday, October 20th: Half day at 11:30; Clean Agenda Celebration
Friday, October 21st: NO SCHOOL Parent/Teacher Data Conferences