6th Grade

Written By: Brooke Fisher, 6th Grade Teacher 

Sixth grade is a huge year not only for learning but also for transitions. We are working on skills everyday to help students transition to a middle school model for next year, while also teaching independent skills and group skills they will need in the future. 

Social/Emotional 

• MELA Tickets- These tickets are one way that teachers can show students they are exemplifying mindfulness, empathetic, leadership, and accountability throughout the day. These tickets are passed out throughout the day as students showcase these skills on their own, to their classmates, and to other staff in the building. 
• Class Goal- Every month we set a focus goal that the students work towards. The month of February is all about quick transitions. Students have one minute to gather materials for their next subject and be in the spot they choose ready to learn. Our transitions are getting faster everyday, and this helps them get more organized with their materials as well! 

Literacy 

Our literacy block is the first half of our day and is composed of writing, whole group, small group, and independent work time. For writing we have spent the month of February researching a civil rights leader and creating an informational essay on that person. Students also get practice going through the rubric with me to see where their strengths are in their writing and where their areas of growth are for the next assignment. 

For the whole group, we are wrapping up an entire series on weather and the plastic pollution problem that the world is currently in. Students have been identifying themes, main ideas, and questions about these texts both while we read and after we read. Small group instruction focuses on a novel at the students reading level where we really narrow in on their comprehension of a text and the story elements that are taking place. When not meeting with a teacher, students have their own independent work they can complete which could include; reading a book of their choice, working on developing skills on lexia or moby max, creating sentences using chosen words, and comprehending shorter texts at their level. 

Math

The sixth grade students use the CPM curriculum for math. Students are taught a concept through problem solving either as a class or in small groups. We then discuss the lesson and work through some practice problems. After the lesson the students work through a few questions on their own, and these questions focus on past concepts that have been taught so that students are constantly reviewing these concepts. We are moving into our variables, expressions, and solving equations chapter, getting more into the algebra part of the 6th grade standards. ​