Grade 6

Students will explore the 6th Grade English Language Arts to develop and strengthen reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Direct instruction on reading strategies to help students create meaning in literature and content areas will be provided. They will learn how to analyze literary devices and story plots, as well as identify and analyze various forms of fiction and nonfiction. Students will enjoy experiences with a variety of literary genre and will be sharing reading and writing experiences in a variety of ways, including literature circles, reading and writing workshops, reading logs, book reports, and essays. They will work towards proficiency in the use of the six plus one traits of writing and focus on solid paragraph construction, as well as develop understanding and use of English grammar, spelling, and conventions. They will have many opportunities to deliver oral and visual presentations of their work and ideas. Students will be expected to take an active part in the assessment of their progress and academic growth.

Accelerated Math 6 is a yearlong required course for 6th Graders. This course is informed by the Common Core State Standards. Instructional time will focus on four critical areas:

• 1. connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems;

  2. completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers;

  3. writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and

  4. developing understanding of statistical thinking.

Earth Science is a yearlong required science course for 6th. Students will study Earth’s resources, processes, waters, atmosphere, and place in the universe (space science). A yearlong focus will be on making connections between these various systems and human impact upon them. The content for this course is informed by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for middle school earth science.

Middle School World Geography at AST is a yearlong, required course for 6th grade. The course is designed to provide students an atmosphere where they can come to understand the relationship between the "natural landscape" of the world around us and the "cultural landscape" that we create as we live, work, and play on this planet. Part of developing that understanding will be learning the tools of geography: map-reading; world regions; physical and human systems; environment and society. Finally, the goal of our World Geography course at AST is to help students become global contributors as they learn more about the world we live in and how they can affect our world.

The Middle School Physical Education curriculum will concentrate on all areas of physical/social/emotional development. Classes will stress the importance of student participation and sportsmanship while being introduced to a variety of activities and sports. Students are expected to take good care of equipment and locker room facilities, be respectful to the instructor, substitute teacher, and other students in the class, have a positive attitude, exemplify sportsmanship, be on time, and do not use inappropriate language. Washington State Health standards are also embedded into the PE course.

Middle school students choose two electives each semester from a range of options in Careers &Technology, Visual & Performing Arts, and Language & Culture.

Middle School Electives