Grade 6 Curriculum

Sixth grade is a remarkable time when students enter the realm of abstract thinking and where empathy is enhanced through exposure to important social justice topics. They participate in a robust arts program, participate in interscholastic athletics teams with older students, and spend their first year in an immersive language program. In the fall, sixth graders go off for a 3-day experience at Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound School. In the spring, they apply the knowledge they have gained about ancient civilizations to a culminating inquiry: How can the study of ancient civilizations help us understand justice and inequality in the modern world? Over the course of this important year of adolescence, students grow intellectually and physically. They are guided by teachers who appreciate the complexity, challenges, and enchanting opportunities of this age group.

Program Highlights

Study of ancient civilizations
Independent study on an Earth science topic
Kindergarten buddies
Ignite Talk Book Celebration

Specialist Time

World language four times a week for 50 minutes
Arts Launch—music, visual art, theater, woodworking, and technology—four times a week for 50 minutes
Athletics four times a week for 60 minutes

Peek into the classroom

Grade 6 Subjects

Sixth grade English is an integrated language arts and literature curriculum that enriches students’ appreciation and facility with all forms of language through reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar study. The literature program fosters reading skills and strategies, as well as a love of reading, through exposure to multiple genres, authors, and voices. Reading selections often overlap with the social studies curriculum in content. As writers, students experiment with various genres, techniques, and roles while increasing their fluency, improving mechanics, deepening vocabulary, and developing more complex writing styles and voices.

Students build essential skills for success in current and future humanities classes: annotating effectively and efficiently; using precise vocabulary in written and oral communication; engaging respectfully and attentively in whole-class discussions; and citing textual evidence to support ideas and arguments. Throughout the year, students read novels, short stories, and poems centered on themes of growth and change.

Essential Questions
- What does it mean to “grow up?”
- How does change happen and why?
- What can reading and writing tell us about who we are and who we are becoming?
Sixth grade students will develop these skills:
- Annotation habits and strategies
- Identifying character traits
- Unpacking identity traits and their intersections
- Organizing analytical writing
- Reading with appropriate volume, pacing, phrasing, and expression
- Using specific techniques to access and participate in a large group discussion
- Identifying instances of world-building in fiction
- Identifying a specific author’s techniques
- Creating a narrative that utilizes the author’s technique intentionally
Students will read:
- Short stories: Flying Lessons and Other Stories, published by We Need Diverse Books and edited by Ellen Oh
- Reader’s theatre: Robin the Outlaw, script adapted by Zachary Hamby
- Novel: The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Poetry and prose: The Color of My Words by Lynn Joseph
- Choice reading book within a prescribed genre (rotates every four weeks)
$Four students work together to solve a math problem set$
Using Illustrative Math Advanced, sixth grade students work through real-world situations utilizing manipulatives and student-based discussions to become effective mathematical thinkers and problem solvers. In preparation for pre-algebra and algebra, our students study number theory, mathematical structures and representation, whole/part relationships of fractions and decimals, and integers. Estimation, number sense, mental math, and a sense of magnitude permeate the sixth grade curriculum. Big ideas of ratio and proportion, which underpin later mathematics, are formally introduced. Students study geometry as well, learning precise vocabulary, analytical methods, and the measurement of two-dimensional figures. The overall focus is on conceptual understanding to accompany proficiency and clear communication to accompany accuracy.

Sixth grade students will:
- Communicate about mathematical ideas through speaking and writing
- Engage in mathematical reasoning and justifying
- Embracing mistakes as opportunities to learn and struggle through productivity
- Understand that there are multiple ways to think about mathematical problem situations
- Ask questions of peers and teachers to ensure and deepen understanding
The study of ancient civilizations is a vehicle for our sixth graders to develop literacy, critical thinking, and pattern recognition skills. They learn to analyze maps, artifacts, and texts, to question evidence, and to craft arguments about civilizations, progress, and human innovation. Through this process, they practice the work of historians and anthropologists: identifying patterns, asking questions about justice and inequality, and recognizing how societies adapt, exchange ideas, and build enduring legacies.

Essential Questions:
- What binds societies?
- How can the study of ancient civilizations help us understand justice and inequality in the modern world?
Our sixth graders will:
- Develop literacy skills with argumentative, claim-based analytical writing
- Improve analysis, refining context and thesis development
- Practice synthesis writing, comparative essays, outlining full arguments, independent evidence selection, and evaluation
The sixth grade science program guides students in constructing specific meaning through a combination of research and investigation. Students bring both prior knowledge and curiosity to the earth science topics being studied and communicate and reason by observing, hypothesizing, creating experiments, recording results, and delivering presentations.

Sixth grade students begin the year studying the solar system and go on to study electricity, Newton’s laws, and simple machines. Students’ understandings of these topics are consolidated and, along with investigations of energy transfer, gear ratios, friction, and the employment of precise measurement, contribute to the ability to construct solar cars. The project allows students to design, test, and refine their vehicles to achieve maximum efficiency and speed. The sixth grade year in science culminates with the study of water.

Sixth grade students will:
- explore a wide variety of scientific topics through hands-on projects and investigations
- learn how to ask and answer both specific and general questions
- observe carefully and take helpful notes
- make hypotheses, listen appreciatively to others’ conjectures, and engage in effective communication
- provide evidence for thinking
- add to the body of scientific knowledge that they possess
- research and communicate effectively, being able to identify and connect important information
- experiment and use results of any experiments to modify current conjectures and future designs
- apply mathematics to scientific concepts
- learn and apply components of formal lab observations, recording, and procedures
Sixth graders have the opportunity to either continue studying Spanish or begin studying French or Latin, following a brief introduction in the previous year. The middle school world language program develops general language skills, intellectual discipline, and the vocabulary, grammar, and fundamentals that allow students to continue language studies at an advanced level in high school. We support our students’ development as citizens of the diverse Belmont Day community and of the world. Exposure to broad cultural experiences nurtures curiosity and joy.

The sixth grade French, Spanish, and Latin classes are taught three times a week. The students work in small groups, play language-based games, create art and video projects, read poetry, and utilize multimedia to develop verbal and written fluency.

Sixth grade students will:
- develop and practice basic communication skills: listening, speaking, writing, and reading
- learn vocabulary and basic grammar concepts
- practice conversation and correct pronunciation
- learn language study skills, such as note-taking, vocabulary acquisition, and language textbook use
- develop curiosity about and understanding of French- or Spanish-speaking cultures
During the sixth through eighth grade program, topics of study may include:
- family
- food
- weather
- likes/dislikes
- geography
- descriptions
- hobbies and sports
- clothing
- travel
- cars
- poetry
- house
- towns
- weekend and vacation activities
During the sixth through eighth grade program, the development of grammar includes:
- sentence structure
- verb conjugation
- adverbs and adjectives
- pronouns (subject, object, reflexive)
- prepositions
- questions
- negation
- present, past, and future tense
The arts play an integral role in the lives of Belmont Day students. Sixth graders engage in the Arts Launch program, rotating through all arts disciplines and exploring a wide variety of materials and processes. They experience music, innovation arts, theater, 2D and 3D visual art, and woodworking classes throughout the year.

Students develop specific skills by collaborating, problem-solving, and considering multiple perspectives. Teachers foster a safe environment in which students can cultivate their artistic voice, creative expression, empathy, and willingness to take risks, with the ultimate goal of developing a lifelong appreciation of the arts.

Essential Questions:
- How do the arts bring people together and create community?
- How do artists use different materials, techniques, and tools to create meaning?
- How can we express ideas and emotions through art?
- Why is it important to learn and use the language of artistic disciplines?
- How does art connect us to different cultures and histories?
- How does working with others enhance artistic creation?
- How do we take creative risks, revise, and improve our work through iteration?
Sixth grade students participate in the interscholastic athletics program, which allows athletes to focus on their passions while encouraging a committed approach and strong leadership. Following the middle school model of independence, choice, and responsibility, students can select the three sports they would like to participate in during the school year. During each season, students further their sport-specific skills, learn in-depth game strategies, and compete against other schools. To round out their athletic experience, students also participate in cooperative games, team-building activities, and fitness challenges in between interscholastic seasons.

Sports offered:
- Fall: soccer, field hockey, flag football, cross country, outdoor adventures
- Winter: basketball, fencing, wrestling, volleyball, physical education and adventures
- Spring: lacrosse, tennis, track & field, ultimate frisbee, mountain biking
Sixth Grade athletes will:
- Develop agility, strength, resilience, and determination
- Practice sportsmanship, leadership, and communication
- Develop sport-specific skills, situational gameplay, and team strategy
- Practice the school’s six core values
At Belmont Day School, we recognize the dignity and worth of all human beings. We value the skills that foster whole-child growth and healthy development, and that promote a sense of belonging for each community member. With our school values in mind, the approach of our Growth, Development, and Belonging (GDB) program is grounded in the belief that comprehensive intersectional health education can promote informed decision-making, self-advocacy, and self-confidence throughout the stages of children’s development. The GDB curricular strands address diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) topics, as well as social-emotional health, physical health, relational health, and mindfulness.

Sixth graders will:
- demonstrate the elements of positive social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, self-control, and empathy
- understand that there are similarities and differences in people in terms of needs, emotions, and cultures
- respect everyone’s personal space and care for their own bodies
- contribute to the well-being of community members through the use of respectful language, actions, and attitudes
- differentiate between healthy and unhealthy choices
- employ effective strategies during challenging times
Topics of study:
- building community
- classroom expectations
- negotiating skills
- conflict resolution
- friendship
- communication of feelings and ideas
- leadership skills
- personal identity
- social identity
- marginalized voices
- gender and stereotypes
- puberty review
- self-care
Sixth graders have time during the school day to contact teachers and seek their advice, support, and help. Teachers thoughtfully scaffold big projects, and students use a binder system created to help them with organizational skills.

The Skills and Strategies class supports academic skill-building and the strengthening of work habits. With the learning specialist, students preview material that will be addressed in their classes and review material after it has been presented. As we prioritize process over product, we discuss and practice how a method or strategy can be used for future tasks across different subject areas.

The learning specialist works with students as a whole group, in small groups, and individually.

Sixth grade students will practice:
- homework strategies: understanding expectations, what “complete” looks like, breaking up long-term independent projects, roadblock helpers, and planning
- executive function strategies: planning and starting with an end product in mind, prioritizing, monitoring and reevaluating, and time management
- test-taking strategies: organization of materials, what strategy works best for you, difference between short answer and long answer questions, how to study for different types of assessments, and standardized vs. class content tests
At Belmont Day, students are mentored in digital wellness, an approach that promotes an intentional and healthy relationship with technology at school, in personal life, and eventually in the workplace. With many jobs and everyday activities relying on the internet and digital devices, the goal of digital wellness is to promote healthy use habits and help users maintain a healthy balance in their daily lives. Our approach to teaching digital citizenship and well-being doesn’t mean providing students with a list of “don’ts.” It’s about the do’s – modeling and practicing skills that help young people become thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who know how to use technology to learn and solve problems in their digital and physical communities.

The school’s one-to-one device program provides every middle school student with a MacBook. Google Apps for Education are valuable, interactive tools for students to access their work anytime, anywhere, and collaborate with peers and teachers.

The middle school technology curriculum is centered in the IMPACT Lab, a collaborative workspace tailored to serve students as they embark on a wide range of learning experiences, including designing and printing 3D objects; programming with Scratch or JavaScript; developing game apps; linking computers to objects in the physical world using Makey Makeys; building and programming LEGO robots; and independent and collaborative problem-solving and brainstorming.