Poetry Unit:

Students will:

• Choose poetic tools to reveal images, evoke feelings, and produce sound.

Content Research: (Reading and Writing beginning in the middle of Feb.)

In this unit, students incorporate all they know about expository texts and critical literacy, as well as their experiences with the Global Awareness Technology Project (GATP) from grade five, as they conduct research tied to the sixth grade U.S. history curriculum or a science unit.

Students pose an open-ended question that they would like to learn more about. They make decisions about which resources to use, how to take notes, and how to organize their research into a product that showcases the conclusions they have drawn as a result of their learning. One challenging aspect of any research unit is helping students see the relevance of research in their everyday lives. While adults may not often write research papers on a regular basis, they contemplate questions that don’t have cut-and-dry answers and make decisions that are influenced by information they gather from a variety of sources. Through discussion, they begin to understand that historical or scientific research, as any research, begins with a question or wondering. They research history to learn about how the past connects to the present (or the future) and research history out of curiosity. They research history to learn about people, places, and events that have impacted our lives today. They research scientific concepts to help explain the natural world and sometimes to learn how to improve it.

Research includes exploring a topic, asking questions, and developing a deeper understanding through drawing conclusions and synthesizing ideas. Research is not the regurgitation of facts. Emphasizing process over product helps students more fully appreciate the importance of research and see the relevance of research skills in their lives.

Students will learn about the factors that shaped Colonial America by...

• describing the religious and economic events and conditions that led to the colonization of America.

• The student will determine the economic relationships between the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies as a result of their geographical location

• describing specialization of and interdependence among New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies.

• interpreting, comparing, and contrasting the multiple perspectives of people whose lives varied greatly within the American colonies: farmers, artisans, merchants, women, free African Americans, enslaved African Americans, indentured servants, and large landowners

• explaining the political and economic relationships between the colonies and Great Britain

Students will learn about the causes and results of the American Revolution by...

• understanding and making connections between the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the American Revolution and the political and economic relationships between the colonies and Great Britain.

• describing how political ideas shaped the revolutionary movement in America and led to the Declaration of Independence.

• evaluating people and events that played a role in shaping the revolutionary movement in America.

• explaining reasons why the colonies were able to defeat Great Britain.

Water Unit

The student will investigate and understand that water has unique physical properties and has role in the natural and human-made environment.

Key Ideas Include:

• Water is referred to as the universal solvent

• Water has a role in weathering

• Water is important for agriculture, power generation, and public health.

The student will investigate and understand that all matter is composed of atoms. Key ideas include

• atoms consist of particles, including electrons, protons, and neutrons;

• compounds may be represented by chemical formulas; and

• a few elements comprise the largest portion of the solid Earth, living matter, the oceans, and the atmosphere.

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