Pacing Guide 

Math 2023-2024

Over the three trimesters we will be covering a wide range of math topics this year. These include Greatest Common Factors, Least Common Multiples, Exponents, Number Systems, Algebraic Expressions and Equations, Inequalities, Ratios, Percents, Geometry and Statistics. All of these topics build upon each other and will be used to build knowledge in math before students move over to middle school. 

Social Studies 2023-2024

 Throughout the school year, we will be exploring Early Civilizations in the world. These include Early Humans, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece and Rome. Exploring these civilizations helps students discover how early people lived and survived as well as how cultures were created and brought to life. We will get to travel the world without having to leave the classroom!   

ELA 2023-2024

Dear Parents/Guardians;

As a part of the Hellgate Intermediate School curriculum, 6th grade students are required to read a variety of novels, all of which have been approved by the Director of Curriculum. Each book has been selected for either its historical and cultural significance, or for its relevance to today’s youth.

The following is a list of the approved novels, each including a brief summary (pulled from goodreads.com) and emerging themes.

Iqbal by Francesco D’Adamo, Ann Leonori (Translator)

Summary: When young Iqbal is sold into slavery at a carpet factory, his arrival changes everything for the other overworked and abused children there. It is Iqbal who explains to them that, despite their master's promises, he plans on keeping them as his slaves indefinitely. But it is also Iqbal who inspires the other children to look to a future free from toil...and is brave enough to show them how to get there.

This moving fictionalized account of the real Iqbal Masih is told through the voice of Fatima, a young Pakistani girl whose life is changed by Iqbal's courage.

Themes: child labor, activism, corruption, human rights, social justice, mature language

Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell

Summary: In prose poetry and alternating voices, Marlene Carvell weaves a heartbreakingly beautiful story based on the real-life experiences of Native American children. Mattie and Sarah are two Mohawk sisters who are sent to an off-reservation school after the death of their mother. Subject to intimidation and corporal punishment, with little hope of contact with their father, the girls are taught menial tasks to prepare them for life as domestics. How Mattie and Sarah protect their culture, memories of their family life, and their love for each other makes for a powerful, unforgettable historical novel.

Themes: assimilation, familial loss, acceptance, balancing culture & life, corporal punishment/abuse, some mature language

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman

Summary: They say if you stare at him long enough, you can see what’s written on the wall behind him. They say a lot of things about the Schwa, but one thing’s for sure: no one ever noticed him. Except me. My name is Antsy Bonano—and I can tell you what’s true and what’s not, ’cause I was there. I was the one who realized the Schwa was “functionally invisible” and used him to make some big bucks. But I was also the one who caused him more grief than a friend should. So if you all just shut up and listen, I’ll spill everything. Unless, of course, "the Schwa Effect" wipes him out of my brain before I'm done…

Themes: invisibility, loneliness, abandonment

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Summary: In this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully witty and compelling story about a teenage boy’s mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967–68 school year in Long Island, New York.

Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn’t like Holling—he’s sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation—the Big M—in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.

Themes: growing up, coping with fear, civil rights, bullying, hope, Shakespeare 

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan 

Summary: Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depends on it.

Themes: perseverance, starting over, social class, familial loss, the American Dream, hope, prejudice 

Peak by Roland Smith

Summary: After fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit--and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life.

Roland Smith has created an action-packed adventure about friendship, sacrifice, family, and the drive to take on Everest, despite the incredible risk. The story of Peak’s dangerous ascent—told in his own words—is suspenseful, immediate, and impossible to put down.

Themes: family, coming of age, independence, courage, honesty, change