Mr. Circe's 5/6 Math
Grade 6 Science
Grade 6 Social Studies
Grade 6 Science
Grade 6 Social Studies
The big ideas in grade 5 include: developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, developing understanding of multiplication and division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions), extending division to two-digit divisors, developing understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths, developing fluency with whole number and decimal operations, and developing understanding of volume.
The mathematical work for grade 5 is broken into 8 units:
Finding Volume
Fractions as Quotients and Fraction Multiplication
Multiplying and Dividing Fractions
Wrapping Up Multiplication and Division with Multi-digit Numbers
Place Value Patterns and Decimal Operations
More Decimal and Fraction Operations
Shapes on the Coordinate Plane
Putting it All Together
Here are the Grade 6 Science Standards, in no particular order:
Cells
Matter and Energy in Ecosystems
History of the Earth
Tectonic Plates
The Rock Cycle
The Water Cycle
Geologic Time Scale
Senses
Grade 6 begins with a unit on reasoning about area and understanding and applying concepts of surface area. It is common to begin the year by reviewing the arithmetic learned in previous grades, but starting instead with a mathematical idea that students haven’t seen before sets up opportunities for students to surprise the teacher and themselves with the connections they make. Instead of front-loading review and practice from prior grades, these materials incorporate opportunities to practice elementary arithmetic concepts and skills through warm-ups, in the context of instructional tasks, and in practice problems as they are reinforcing the concepts they are learning in the unit.
The mathematical work for grade 6 is broken into 9 units:
Area and Surface Area
Introducing Ratios
Unit Rates and Percentages
Dividing Fractions
Arithmetic in Base Ten
Expressions and Equations
Rational Numbers
Data Sets and Distributions
Putting it All Together
Here are the Grade 6 Social Studies Standards, in no particular order:
Map Skills
Branches of Government
Growth of the Republic
The Civil War
In grades 5 and 6, fact fluency is ESSENTIAL as we dive into deeper, more complex topics. As the year progresses, students will be tasked with challenging word problems and multi-step situations. Knowledge of multiplication and division facts (0-12) will help them to be much more successful with the rigorous content the students will be exposed to this year.
You can help your child develop an understanding of these facts, by routinely quizzing them. For example, on a long car ride you may ask your child, "Tell me your multiples of 7", or "What is 81 divided by 9"? You can also use situational questions like, "I have to make dinner for 5 of us tonight, and I need to find enough ingredients. I need _____ ingredient times 5 people. Can you help me find that?"
If you have a device at home, an excellent resources is Fluency By Heart. It's a free program that is used in school to help develop fact fluency. Even just a few minutes a day can be very valuable!
We’d like to introduce you to the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum. This problem-based curriculum makes rigorous middle school mathematics accessible to all learners.
What is a problem-based curriculum?
In a problem-based curriculum, students spend most of their time in class working on carefully crafted and sequenced problems. Teachers help students understand the problems, ask questions to push their thinking, and orchestrate discussions to be sure that the mathematical takeaways are clear. Learners gain a rich and lasting understanding of mathematical concepts and procedures and experience applying this knowledge to new situations. Students frequently collaborate with their classmates—they talk about math, listen to each other’s ideas, justify their thinking, and critique the reasoning of others. They gain experience communicating their ideas both verbally and in writing, developing skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.
This kind of instruction may look different from what you experienced in your own math education. Current research says that students need to be able to think flexibly in order to use mathematical skills in their lives (and also on the types of tests they will encounter throughout their schooling). Flexible thinking relies on understanding concepts and making connections between them. Over time, students gain the skills and the confidence to independently solve problems that they've never seen before.
There may be times when absences occur, or when extra practice is needed at home. GOOD NEWS! Many IM lessons are available on YouTube! All you need to type in the search bar is the program (IM), the grade (5 or 6), the unit and the lesson number.
Example: IM Grade 5 Unit 3 Lesson 1
Your child can rewatch any lesson for extra practice. It's also led by different teachers, so they will get other teaching styles and perspectives. There may be multiple versions of the same lesson, so you can choose which one your prefer. Please note that YouTube may not have videos for every single IM lesson, but they have a very large number of them!
Here's a link to a sample video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA9DTgpOIP8
5th and 6th grade tests and quizzes will be scored in alignment with WSESU's assessment scoring program, Forefront. They are presented in kid-friendly language:
1- You'll do better next time!
(This score indicates the student may be struggling with the content and needs further help.)
2- You're almost there!
(This score indicates the student is on their way to mastering the content.)
3- You did it!
(This score indicates the student has mastered the content.)
4 - Above and beyond!
(This score will RARELY be given out to students. This indicates mastery well beyond the current grade level.)
* 3 is the goal! *
Please feel free to reach out with any questions!
Mr. Circe
mcirce@wsesdvt.org