Curriculum Summary Grade 6 2020 2021 - The Skokie School - Winnetka Public ...
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Curriculum Summary
Grade 6
2020 - 2021
The Skokie School
520 Glendale Avenue
Winnetka, IL 60093
(847) 441-1750
www.winnetka36.orgINTRODUCTION This document outlines the goals of our sixth grade curriculum. Teachers actively partake in the ongoing evaluation and revision of curriculum and utilize various materials, programs, activities, and strategies to implement the following goals. Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 2
LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK COMMON UNDERSTANDINGS: • Teachers use the District’s literacy framework to provide students with lifelong skills and motivation to become fluent, effective and purposeful readers, writers, and communicators. • Instruction includes thoughtful integration of reading, writing, and oral language. • Teachers use a variety of ongoing formative assessments to inform instruction and measure student growth. Formative assessments include, but are not limited to, teacher-student conferences, observations, anecdotal records, various writing samples (including on demand), and reading inventories. • Reflection plays an instrumental role in learning, allowing students to develop ownership of their progress, process, and performance as learners. In cultivating self-reflection and critique, we develop purposeful, insightful, and intrinsically motivated readers and writers. • At each grade level, developmentally appropriate instruction is thoughtfully scaffolded to allow students to become independent readers and writers. • Teachers understand the broad context of skill and knowledge development, with a particular focus on the grades preceding and following their own. Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 3
BEST PRACTICES IN A BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAM:
READING WRITING
READ ALOUD WRITING WORKSHOP/ PROCESS WRITING
The teacher (or a student) reads aloud engaging fiction Children engage in a balance of narrative, informational
and information texts. Texts are selected to model a and argument/opinion/persuasive types of writing for
love of reading and/or reading strategies, fluency, or various purposes and audiences. The teacher guides the
genre features. Additionally, books are read aloud to process and provides instruction through modeling,
build students’ knowledge for content area themes of mentor texts, shared writing, guided practice, and
study. Teachers balance the flow of the read aloud with conferencing. Students independently utilize the skills
embedding reading strategies, skills, and vocabulary as and strategies that have been modeled. Students
well as student discussion. generate ideas, plan, draft, revise, edit, publish their
work and reflect upon it.
SHARED READING
Using an enlarged text or individual student copies
(literary or informational text), the teacher involves
children in reading together. The teacher models and
explains reading strategies and encourages the
students to participate.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 4BEST PRACTICES IN A BALANCED LITERACY PROGRAM (CONTINUED):
READING WRITING
RESEARCH RESEARCH
Using comprehension strategies and existing Using organizational structures that fit the writer and the
knowledge, students read informational texts at an topic, students synthesize their findings in writing.
accessible level to further understanding, answer Students present their research in an engaging and
questions, and stimulate curiosity. They learn to take organized manner. Students write to communicate in an
notes in developmentally appropriate ways. authentic manner that suits the writer, topic, and
audience.
GUIDED READING / FOCUSED INSTRUCTION
The teacher pulls together flexible groups or
partnerships to teach effective reading strategies and
skills for processing a variety of literary and
informational texts.
BOOK CLUBS/LITERATURE CIRCLES/READERS
THEATER
Flexible groups are either adult or student directed.
Students engage in discussions as critical
readers/thinkers about a text they have read or heard.
A developmentally appropriate focus is placed on
inquiry and questioning.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 5INDEPENDENT READING DAILY WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
Students choose a variety of independent reading Daily writing opportunities encourage and build
books based on interest. They learn how to select texts confident writers. Students write every day across the
at their independent reading level and engage in curriculum. These pieces may include, but are not
reading daily. Students and teachers assess and track limited to, drawings, sentences, stories, information
independent reading growth through individualized pieces, retellings, labels, responses to literature,
goal setting conversations and/or conferences. research, lists, and journal entries. The aim is to build
writing fluency, volume, and stamina.
FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS and LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE
Students learn foundational reading skills, grammar and conventions, and word knowledge through both direct
and embedded instruction in ELA and across the curriculum. Depending on the grade level, the teacher provides
direct instruction in: phonological awareness, phonics, word attack skills, and spelling.
Additional instruction in language craft and vocabulary development focuses on the use of these skills in reading,
writing and speaking, and is embedded through literacy and content learning across the curriculum.
ORAL LANGUAGE: LISTENING AND SPEAKING
Students develop speaking and listening skills to help them participate in conversations with others. They
evaluate a speaker’s perspective and reasoning.
Students use a variety of media to develop effective oral presentation skills that suit the purpose, context, and
audience. In addition, students evaluate and integrate information presented in diverse media.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 6LEARNING OUTCOMES WRITING
In grades K–8, the language arts curriculum includes the
continuing development of receptive language as Informational Writing
students access and evaluate information through
reading, listening, and viewing: Transfer
• Students develop and apply skills to decode, Students will be able to independently use their learning
comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate to produce clear and accurate texts (feature article,
print materials. information book) to inform or explain.
• Students understand and appreciate literary forms.
• Students listen effectively for a variety of purposes
with emphasis on comprehension and evaluation of Essential Questions
• How do I organize my writing to convey meaning?
spoken language.
• What do I think is important for someone to know
• Students view for a variety of purposes with
emphasis on appreciation and information and think after reading my piece?
• How do I determine if information is relevant
collection.
and/or valid?
In grades K–8, the language arts curriculum includes the Understandings- Students will Understand that…
continuing development of expressive language as • Writers strategically organize information based
students communicate effectively through writing, on what they want to communicate.
speaking, and visually representing: • Writers incorporate a variety of text features to
• Students develop writing skills to communicate enhance comprehension.
their ideas, opinions, and feelings for a variety of • Writers focus their pieces by intentionally making
purposes. decisions that communicate their ideas and
• Students have a variety of formal and informal perspectives on a topic.
speaking opportunities to present information, • Writers evaluate the credibility of their sources
explore ideas and experiences, persuade, and and extract the most important information.
reflect.
• Students express themselves using nonverbal Key Knowledge- Students will Know…
means including illustration, diagram, computer • Writers structure their writing in different ways
graphics, photography, and physical movement. (e.g., cause/effect, comparison/contrast, etc.).
• The proper format for paraphrasing, quoting, and
citing sources in text.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 7• The terms: topic, subtopic, heading, subheading, • Using punctuation (commas, parentheses,
glossary, and text features (e.g., text box, sidebar, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical
diagram, chart, graph and visual). elements.
• The difference between formal and informal style. Opinion Writing
• Various transitions (words or phrases) to connect
ideas, information, and examples. Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning
Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at… to produce clear and coherent writing to persuade
• Selecting a topic, narrowing it, and writing about others of their claims.
it.
• Taking organized notes from multiple types of
sources. Essential Questions
• Selecting a structure that best conveys meaning. • What makes an argument about a text convincing?
• Organizing the parts (subtopics or categories) of a • What evidence can I use to build strong support
topic to support purpose and meaning and for my claim?
formatting with headings. • How do I organize and present my
• Creating parallelism in subtopics. argument/claim?
• Gathering a variety of information (e.g., relevant • How do I develop meaningful ideas about texts?
facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations)
Understandings- Students will Understand that…
about a topic.
• An argument’s effectiveness depends upon
• Evaluating sources for credibility, accuracy, and
relevant and reliable supporting evidence and how
relevance for a topic.
the argument is conveyed.
• Using text features to aide a reader's
• Writers strategically select and clearly organize
comprehension.
their evidence.
• Using topic-specific vocabulary.
• Many ideas can come out of one text.
• Paraphrasing, summarizing, and giving credit to
• Writers create meaningful ideas about texts.
sources.
• Writing meaningful introductions and conclusions. Key Knowledge- Students will Know...
• Using transitions such as for instance, in addition, • The difference between reasons and evidence.
therefore, such as, because of, as a result, in • The difference between a formal and informal
contrast to, unlike, despite, and on the other style.
hand. • Annotation strategies.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 8• Different organizational structures of note taking.
• Definitions of the following terms: claim, boxes,
bullets, relevant, reliable, and credible. Narrative Writing
• The format for including a direct quotation.
• When to use a specific noun instead of a general Transfer
pronoun. Students will be able to independently use their learning
to produce narratives based on real or imagined
Essential Skills- Students will be Skilled at… experiences or events.
• Gathering meaningful ideas about texts.
• Writing claims that can be supported with text
evidence. Essential Questions
• Evaluating the validity and effectiveness of text
• How do I immediately engage the reader in my
evidence. story?
• Writing meaningful introductions and conclusions.
• How do I purposefully use description to develop
• Structuring claims and evidence in a meaningful
my story?
way. • How do I choose the most effective sequence of
• Using transitional phrases to show the
events for my story?
relationship between claims and reasons. • How do I help guide the reader through my story?
• Spelling words correctly by using appropriate
resources to check for spelling accuracy, paying Understandings- Students will Understand that…
particular attention to homophones. • Writers immediately engage readers using
• Using verb tenses consistently throughout the effective techniques.
whole piece. • Writers use relevant description to develop
• Using appropriate capitalization and punctuation. experiences, events and characters.
• Using appropriate punctuation to vary sentences. • Writers logically sequence their stories, so the
• Citing evidence accurately. events unfold naturally.
• Writers use transitions to guide their readers.
Key Knowledge- Students will Know…
• Elements of a story (e.g., character, plot, setting).
• Definitions of the following terms: plot, setting,
transition, and figurative language.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 9• Multiple strategies for planning a story. • Writing endings in which the main character
grows, changes, or learns something.
Essential Skills- Students will be Skilled at… • Using transitions to guide readers through stories
• Planning and sequencing their stories. by establishing time and setting.
• Writing engaging leads. • Incorporating figurative language into their
• Utilizing various strategies to effectively elaborate writing.
their stories (e.g., inner thinking, action, dialogue, • Creating a clear setting of the story using sensory
and description). details.
• Developing multi-dimensional characters (e.g., • Punctuating and paragraphing dialogue.
motivations, fears, relationships, important • Spelling correctly.
objects, strengths, and weaknesses).
• Showing the passage of time in complicated ways
perhaps by showing things happening at the same
time or flashback and flash-forward.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 10• Reflecting and goal setting are important
practices.
READING
• Key terms:
Building an Independent Reading Life o stamina
o volume
Transfer
o fluency
Students will take ownership of who they are as readers
o “just right” books
and will become committed to their own personal
growth. Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at…
• Selecting appropriate reading materials.
Essential Questions
• Read a variety of print and digital texts.
• How would I describe myself as a reader?
• Knowing when to abandon a text.
• What habits can help me grow as a reader?
• Monitoring independent reading.
• How do I make meaning of increasingly difficult
• Engaging a conversation with a partner or group.
texts?
• Reflecting on how reading habits impact reading
• How do conversations about reading deepen my
success.
understanding of the text?
• Responding to reading.
Understandings- Students will Understand that… • Self-monitoring reading.
• Readers reflect and make intentional decisions • Setting goals around reading.
about how they grow as a reader.
• Reading volume increases ability.
• Readers grow when they engage in conversations
centered around texts.
Key Knowledge- Students will Know…
• Actively engaging with a text while reading
deepens understanding.
• Reading daily is essential.
• Conversations about books broaden readers’
perspectives.
• The importance of reading “just right” books.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 11• A narrator’s point of view affects the way the story
is told and the communication of the author’s
purpose.
• Theme is intended to capture the human struggle
Literature and help us understand it.
Transfer Key Knowledge- Students will Know…
Students will comprehend, analyze, and discuss a variety • Comprehension skills such as asking and
of genres in order to better understand the world around answering questions, determining importance,
them. inferring, making connections, pre-reading,
summarizing, synthesizing, and visualizing.
Essential Questions • Key terms:
• How do readers use textual evidence from the o connotative meanings
story to understand and explain what the text is o elements of a story
really about? ▪ plot: story arc, conflicts, rising action,
• How does the author’s word choice convey climax, falling action, resolution,
meaning and shape the tone of the story? exposition
• How do specific parts of a story, play, or poem ▪ setting, time shifts, flashback
contribute to the development of a theme, setting, ▪ theme
or plot of a story? ▪ point of view
• How do narrator and point of view impact the ▪ tone
telling of a story? o explicit
• Why is theme worth analyzing? o figurative language
o genre
Understandings- Students will Understand that…
o inference
• Readers use details from text to support their
o summary
thinking.
o textual evidence
• Authors select specific words and structures to
communicate tone and meaning. Essential Skills- Students will be Skilled at…
• Readers think about parts of a story, play, or poem • Selecting textual evidence to support an idea.
to determine how they affect meaning and • Using details to show the central theme of a text.
contribute to the theme, setting, or plot of the • Identifying conscious writing choices, including
story. word choice and structure, made by authors to
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 12communicate tone and meaning and develop the
plot.
• Identifying the point of view of the story.
• Comparing the representation of a similar theme
across different genres and texts.
• Summarizing objectively. Information
• Analyzing how characters and plot change as the
Transfer
story moves toward resolution.
Students will read informational texts to learn more
• Determining the meaning of a word or phrase
about the world, inform decision making, and become
based on the context.
engaged citizens.
• Comparing the experience of reading a story,
drama, or poem to listening to or viewing a live
Essential Questions
version.
• How do readers use evidence to support their
• Reading and comprehending grade-level
analysis of the text?
appropriate texts.
• How do specific parts of an informational text fit
• Selecting and applying genre-appropriate reading
into the overall piece and contribute to the
strategies.
development of the author’s ideas?
• How do readers evaluate an effective argument?
• How do readers determine an author’s purpose,
message, or point of view?
• How does the author’s perspective influence the
way information is conveyed?
Understandings- Students will Understand that…
• Convincing arguments are supported by reasons
and evidence.
• Authors develop ideas through intentional
structure and elaboration (i.e. examples and
anecdotes).
• Readers pay attention to structure, word choice,
tone, and selection of evidence in order to
determine an author’s point of view, purpose,
message, or an argument’s effectiveness.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 13• Different authors bring different perspectives to • Purposefully selecting from appropriate forms of
the same topic. media and text to develop an understanding of a
topic.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of an author’s
evidence in support of an argument.
• Selecting textual evidence to support an idea.
Key Knowledge- Students will Know… • Reading and comprehending grade-level
• Comprehension skills such as asking and appropriate texts.
answering questions, determining importance, • Identifying an author’s point of view.
inferring, making connections, pre-reading, • Evaluating the credibility and bias of a text.
summarizing, and visualizing.
• Key terms:
o anecdote
o bias
o connotative meaning
READING SUPPORT SERVICES
Additional reading support services from the Reading
o figurative meaning
o technical meaning
Specialist are available for sixth grade students as
appropriate. The classroom teacher will recommend this
• Different types of text features:
service as needed.
o charts
o graphs
o sidebar ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL)
o photos Support services for English Language Learners are
o videos available.
o audio files
o subtopic sections and vocabulary
• Authors are inherently biased due to their
perspectives and/or experience.
Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at…
• Summarizing objectively and avoiding bias.
• Determining the meaning of word or phrase based
on the context.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 14• Figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings
• General academic words and phrases
• Domain-specific words and phrases
WORD STUDY
GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS
There is an explicit and systematic approach to teaching
spelling and word study. Explicit instruction is balanced
with differentiated studies and word consciousness. As educators, we know that students’ development as
Word consciousness refers to providing a print/word rich writers is a complex process that is not necessarily
environment, fostering word play, integrating vocabulary linear. Therefore, we believe that grammatical concepts
in writing, and reading aloud. should be explored in-depth and reinforced through
multiple strategies over time. As teachers, we’ve
As skills are introduced, students engage in activities for organized our grammar scope and sequence according
repeated practice. There is high exposure to words in to three categories: exposure (concepts and ideas
context and within content. Vocabulary acquisition is students are exposed to without explicit instruction),
connected to content areas such as math, social studies, introduction (skills and concepts that are introduced),
and science as well as to the arts, kinetic wellness, and and independence (skills that are expected to be used
technology. Through explicit teaching and an integrated independently as an integral part of a student’s writing
approach, students are exposed to a high volume of process).
words each year.
Skills Introduced in Sixth Grade:
Spelling includes the following: • Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case
• Spelling patterns (subjective, objective, possessive).
• Word families • Use intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
• High frequency words • Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in
pronoun number and person.
Vocabulary acquisition includes the following: • Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones
• Phonics and word recognition with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).
• Unknown and multiple-meaning words and • Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes)
phrases to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.
• Greek or Latin affixes and roots • Spell correctly.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 15• Vary sentence patterns for meaning, • Provides meaningful tasks
reader/listener interest, and style. • Emphasizes process and understanding of
• Maintain consistency in style and tone. mathematics to a level of depth appropriate for each
learner
• Encourages students to learn from one another
• Provides time to develop perseverance, a level of
expertise, and an appreciation of the connectedness
MATHEMATICS of math concepts to the real world
• Endorses multiple methods for students to
The mission of The Winnetka Public Schools demonstrate understanding through the use of
mathematics program is to engage all students in a different modalities (manipulatives, pictures and
challenging curriculum of high quality mathematics. models, oral and written language, real world
situations, written symbols)
We believe that classroom community engages students
and supports the development of positive mathematical We believe that high quality curriculum and assessment
dispositions. allow for acquisition of knowledge, development of
meaningful understanding, application and transfer of
AN ENGAGING MATH ENVIRONMENT: knowledge.
• Promotes a mindset of inquiry, risk taking, flexible
thinking, and problem solving HIGH QUALITY CURRICULUM:
• Fosters collaboration, communication, and critique as • Develops skills and concepts in tandem
critical components of understanding • Applies concepts to real life contexts and new
• Encourages multiple approaches, using tools and situations
technology strategically • Values reflection as part of the learning process
• Encourages analysis of a variety of solutions as well • Is informed by research, state and national
as misconceptions standards, and guided by national mathematics
organizations
We believe that high quality instruction is the foundation
for the development of proficient mathematical learners. HIGH QUALITY ASSESSMENT:
• Encompasses a wide range of assessment techniques
HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION: • Is an ongoing process
• Values students as individual learners • Provides feedback to inform student and teacher,
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 16resulting in the growth of all learners
• Addresses procedural skill and fluency, conceptual
understanding, and application
LEARNING OUTCOMES/MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES • Developing understanding of statistical thinking.
In grades K-8, the mathematics curriculum provides
learning experiences that develop mathematically
proficient students who can: GRADE 6 OVERVIEW
• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving Ratios and Proportional Relationships
them. • Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively. to solve problems.
• Construct viable arguments and critique the
reasoning of others. The Number System
• Model with mathematics. • Apply and extend previous understandings of
• Use appropriate tools strategically. multiplication and division to divide fractions by
• Attend to precision. fractions.
• Look for and make use of structure. • Multiply and divide multi-digit numbers and find
• Look for and express regularity in repeated common factors and multiples.
reasoning. • Apply and extend previous understanding of
numbers to the system of rational numbers.
GRADE 6 CRITICAL AREAS
Expressions and Equations
• Connecting ratio and rate to whole number • Apply and extend previous understandings of
multiplication and division and using concepts of arithmetic to algebraic expressions.
ratio and rate to solve problems. • Reason about and solve one-variable equations
• Completing understanding of division of fractions and inequalities.
and extending the notion of number to the system • Represent and analyze quantitative relationships
of rational numbers, which includes negative between dependent and independent variables.
numbers.
• Writing, interpreting, and using expressions and Geometry
equations.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 17• Solve real-world and mathematical problems • Summarize and describe distributions.
involving area, surface area, and volume.
Statistics and Probability
• Develop understanding of statistical variability.
over time.
SCIENCE • Students will learn in a rigorous environment that
requires perseverance.
Mission • Students will work collaboratively to develop their
understanding of science. They will communicate
The mission of the Winnetka Public Schools science their thoughts, observations, inferences, and opinions
program is to foster children's curiosity in the world using precise, scientific language.
around them and empower them with the knowledge
needed to interact with the world as scientists and
engineers. Our students are encouraged to pose
questions, investigate solutions, and justify their
thinking. Children will collaborate with each other, We believe science and engineering require both
engage in scientific and engineering practices, persevere, knowledge and practice because the NGSS practices,
and creatively investigate phenomena and solve crosscutting concepts, and content are equally
problems. important.
• Students will be actively engaged in the scientific and
Beliefs engineering practices, which will be visible in the
classroom.
We believe in deep exploration of important concepts • Students will use crosscutting concepts to connect
and the opportunity for students to develop meaningful knowledge from various disciplines (STEAM) into a
understanding over time. coherent and scientifically based view of the world.
• Students will have sustained opportunities to identify • Students will learn scientific content through hands
their misconceptions, learn from mistakes and flexibly on experiences and reflect to build understanding.
problem solve. As a result, students’ ideas will evolve
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 18We believe children are born investigators and it is differences in such factors as climate, natural resources,
important to connect to students’ passions and and economic conditions. Thus technology use varies
experiences to further spark their curiosity. from region to region over time.
• Students will be creative designers and thinkers,
further developing their sense of wonder and passion Scientific knowledge can describe the consequences of
for the world around them. actions but does not necessarily prescribe the decisions
• Students will have equitable access to science that society takes.
learning, materials, and experiences.
• Students will be challenged with scientific and Essential Questions
engineering tasks that apply to the world they live • How do humans depend on Earth’s resources?
in; these tasks will inspire lifelong learning and draw • How do natural hazards affect individuals and
on children’s motivation to engage with their societies?
surroundings. • How do humans change the planet?
• How do people model and predict the effects of
We believe that, as educators, it is important to stay human activities on Earth’s climate?
committed to our science curricular progressions to
ensure a meaningful, coherent journey for each child K-8. Understandings - Students will Understand that…
Patterns
• Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify
patterns in data.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Unit: Earth and Human Activity Cause and Effect
• Relationships can be classified as causal or
Big Idea: Earth/Human Activity correlational, and correlations do not necessarily
All human activity draws on natural resources and has imply causation.
both short and long-term consequences, positive as well • Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict
as negative, for the health of people and the natural phenomena in natural or designed systems.
environment. Stability and Change
• Stability might be disturbed either by sudden events
The use of technologies and any limitations on their use or gradual changes that accumulate over time.
are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and
values; by findings of scientific research; and by Key Knowledge- Students will Know…
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 19• Humans depend on Earth’s land, ocean, atmosphere, argument.
and biosphere for many different resources. Minerals, • Analyzing and interpreting data to determine
fresh water, and biosphere resources are limited, and similarities and differences in findings.
many are not renewable or replaceable over human • Constructing a scientific explanation based on valid
lifetimes. These resources are distributed unevenly and reliable evidence obtained from sources
around the planet as a result of geologic processes. (including the students’ own experiments) and the
• Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region, assumptions that theories and laws that describe the
combined with an understanding of related geologic natural world operate today as they did in the past
forces can help forecast the locations and likelihoods and will continue to do so in the future.
of future events. • Applying scientific principles to design an object, tool,
• Human activities have significantly altered the process, or system.
biosphere, sometimes damaging or destroying natural • Constructing an oral and written argument supported
habitats and causing the extinction of other species. by empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to
But changes to Earth’s environments can have support or refute an explanation or a model for a
different impacts (negative and positive) for different phenomenon or a solution to a problem.
living things.
• Typically as human populations and per-capita
consumption of natural resources increase, so do the
negative impacts on Earth unless the activities and
technologies involved are engineered otherwise.
• Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse Unit: Earth’s History
gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in
the current rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature Big Idea: Earth’s Systems & History
(global warming). Reducing the level of climate Rock strata and the fossil record can be used as
change and reducing human vulnerability to whatever evidence to organize the relative occurrence of major
climate changes do occur depend on the historical events in earth’s history.
understanding of climate science, engineering
capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge such as Essential Questions
understanding of human behavior and on applying • How does the movement of tectonic plates impact the
that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities. surface of Earth?
• How do the materials in and on Earth’s crust change
Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at… over time?
• Asking questions to identify and clarify evidence of an • How do people figure out that the Earth and life on
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 20Earth have changed through time? • Water’s movements, both on land and underground,
• What and how can rocks tell us about the history of cause weathering and erosion, which change the
the Earth? land’s surface features and create underground
• How can people tell what has happened to Earth? formations.
Understandings - Students will Understand that… Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at…
• Geoscience data informs processes and events in • Analyzing and interpreting data to provide evidence
Earth’s history. for phenomena.
• There is a strong connection to engineering through • Constructing a scientific explanation based on valid
the instruments and technologies that have allowed and reliable evidence obtained from sources and the
us to obtain data that support the theories that assumption that theories and laws that describe the
explain the formation and evolution of the universe. natural world operate today as they did in the past
• There are controlling properties of important and will continue to do so in the future.
materials based on the analysis of real geoscience
data.
Unit: Weather
Key Knowledge- Students will Know… Big Idea: Weather and Climate
• The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata Complex interactions determine local weather patterns
provides a way to organize Earth’s history. Analyses and influence climate, including the role of the ocean.
of rock strata and the fossil record provide only
relative dates, not an absolute scale.
• Tectonic processes continually generate new ocean Essential Questions
sea floor at ridges and destroy old sea floor at • What factors interact and influence weather and
trenches. climate?
• The planet’s systems interact over scales that range • How do changes in weather affect humans?
from microscopic to global in size, and they operate
over fractions of a second to billions of years. These Understandings - Students will Understand that…
interactions have shaped Earth’s history and will • The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and
determine its future. climate.
• Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on • Weather and climate are shaped by complex
investigations of rocks and fossils, make clear how interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the
Earth’s plates have moved great distances, collided, atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things.
and spread apart. • Energy from the sun is transferred between systems
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 21and circulates through the ocean and atmosphere. • How can the motion of Earth explain seasons and
eclipses?
Key Knowledge- Students will Know… • What are the predictable patterns caused by Earth’s
• The ocean exerts a major influence on weather and movement in the solar system?
climate by absorbing energy from the sun, releasing it
over time, and globally redistributing it through ocean Understandings - Students will Understand that…
currents. • Patterns can be used to identify cause-and-effect
• The complex patterns of the changes and the relationships.
movement of water in the atmosphere are major • Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed
determinants of local weather patterns. at various scales using models to study systems that
• Weather and climate are influenced by interactions are too large or too small.
involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, • Models can be used to represent systems and their
landforms, and living things. interactions.
Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at… Key Knowledge- Students will Know…
• Developing and using models. • Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon,
• Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating and stars in the sky can be observed, described,
information. predicted, and explained with models.
• Earth and its solar system are part of the Milky Way
galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the universe.
Unit: Space Systems
•
The solar system consists of the sun and a collection
of objects, including planets, their moons, and
Big Idea: Earth’s Place in the Universe
asteroids that are held in orbit around the sun by its
Earth has a place in relation to the solar system, Milky
gravitational pull on them.
Way galaxy, and universe. Models of the solar system
• The model of the solar system can explain eclipses of
explain astronomical and other observations of cyclic
the sun and the moon. Earth’s spin axis is fixed in
patterns of eclipses, tides, lunar phases, and seasons.
direction over the short-term but tilted relative to its
orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of that
Essential Questions
tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of
• What is Earth’s place in the Universe?
sunlight on different areas of Earth across the year.
• What makes up our solar system?
• The solar system appears to have formed from a disk
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 22of dust and gas, drawn together by gravity. Essential Skills- Students will be skilled at… • Developing and using a model to describe phenomena. • Analyzing and interpreting data to determine similarities and differences in findings. Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 23
SOCIAL STUDIES
Mission Statement Key Beliefs
In the social sciences, we recognize that we live in an The Committee established key beliefs that serve as
increasingly interconnected world with varying beliefs, drivers for the curriculum development process. The key
perspectives, and values. In modern times, it has beliefs were used in concert with the new state standards
become vital for individuals to learn to navigate and in developing the curriculum framework documents.
interpret the vast array of information they are exposed
to on a daily basis. It is our mission to educate the • Inquiry: Children question the world around them,
youth of Winnetka to responsibly, respectfully, and recognize societal issues, and develop meaningful
actively evaluate that information; to understand the root investigations through inquiry.
causes of what they encounter in modern life and the • Social Responsibility: The classroom is a
circumstances that drive others to differ and to take microcosm for social problem solving and change,
action towards positive change as responsible citizens of where children develop skills and attitudes needed
a democracy. for fair play, cooperation, and self-
expression. Students learn that together, human
beings can make a difference.
• Action-Democracy: Social Studies provides
opportunities towards developing reflective and
active democratic citizens with the ability to
understand and evaluate other viewpoints, who
support a just and humane society, now and in the
future.
• Civics: Develop responsible citizens in a global
community through engagement in decision-
making and consensus-building opportunities.
• Cultural Awareness: We believe in addressing
past, current, and future challenges; to shine light
into the darkness in the pursuit of
understanding. Children will encounter and
explore multiple viewpoints and perspectives to
develop critical thinking, empathy, and
compassion.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 24Illinois Social Studies Standards
The vision put forth by the new standards is to produce Disciplinary Concepts
Illinois graduates who are civically engaged, socially • Civics
responsible, culturally aware, and financially literate. • Civic and Political Institutions
The Illinois Social Studies Standards adopted in 2017 • Participation and Deliberation: Applying
promote the acquisition of knowledge, but also promotes Civic Virtues and Democratic
student participation as active members of our Principles Processes, Rules, and Laws
democracy. To this end, the standards document has • Geography
been organized into two complementary categories, • Geographic Representations: Spatial Views
Inquiry and Disciplinary Concepts, to provide a of the World Human-Environment
framework for student success in the modern world: Interaction: Place, Regions, and Culture
• Human Population: Spatial Patterns and
Movements
Inquiry Skills • Global Interconnections: Changing Spatial
• Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries Patterns
• Constructing Essential Questions • Economics and Financial Literacy
• Constructing Supporting Questions • Economic Decision Making
• Determining Helpful Sources • Exchange and Markets
• Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence • The National and Global Economy
• Gathering and Evaluating Sources • History
• Developing Claims and Using Evidence • Change, Continuity, and Context
• Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed • Perspectives
Action • Historical Sources and Evidence
• Communicating Conclusions • Causation and Argumentation
• Critiquing Conclusions
• Taking Informed Action
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 25UNIT ONE
KEY KNOWLEDGE- Students will know…
Places:
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
• Tigris and Euphrates River/
• How do humans control their environment to have
Fertile Crescent
their needs met?
• Mesopotamia
• Sumer
SUPPORTING QUESTIONS
Agriculture:
• In what ways are humans dependent on sources of
• Irrigation/levee/canal
water?
• Silt
• What is the importance of barriers (natural and
• Agriculture
man-made)?
• Surplus
• How do humans control food supplies?
• Cultivation and domestication
• What is the connection between the environment
Geography:
and the establishment of civilization?
• Topography & terrain
• Natural resource
TRANSFER GOAL
• City-state
Students will be able to independently use their learning
People:
to analyze and understand the world through a
• Civilization
geographical lens.
• Nomad
• Migrate
UNDERSTANDINGS- Students will understand… Advancement:
• Water is essential for physical survival, health, • Commodity
agriculture, travel, and trade. • Trade/barter
• Barriers provide protection, strengthen the identity • Technology/tools
of a culture.
• Humans went from hunter-gatherers to farmers
ESSENTIAL SKILLS- Students will be skilled at…
and herders due to their ability to control their
• Locating and labeling geographic features on a
environment.
map.
• Once the environment was controlled, there was a
surplus of food, a division of labor and the creation
• Comparing and contrasting maps of the same
of cities.
region that show different features of the region.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 26• Identifying the type of map to use for a specific ESSENTIAL QUESTION
purpose. • How do humans progress through innovation and
• Making an argument utilizing geographical the creation of technology?
knowledge.
• Using geographic domain language.
• Analyzing the cause and effect of human impact SUPPORTING QUESTIONS
on the geography of a place. • How did the rise of towns impact work, trade and
• Identifying the aspects of geography that impact innovation?
culture. • How does a stable economy improve quality of life?
• Sequence the unfolding/development of how • How do “wants” drive innovation and
humans as hunters-gatherers to farmers and entrepreneurship?
domesticators.
TRANSFER GOAL
Students will be able to independently use their learning
to make economically sound and ethical financial
decisions.
UNDERSTANDINGS- Students will understand…
• People began relying on other workers to provide
their needs and developed a lifestyle based on the
idea of exchange.
• When the economy is stable, people are not solely
worried about meeting their basic needs.
• When a person does not need to focus on meeting
their needs, they can focus on creative endeavors.
UNIT TWO
KEY KNOWLEDGE- Students will know…
Roles of Citizens:
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 27• Apprentice
• Residents
• Craftsmen
• Journeyman
• Peasants
• Vassals UNIT THREE
• Feudalism (feudal lord, monarch, noble, peasant, high
ranking church official) ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Responsibilities/Rights of Citizens: How do humans strive toward a fairer society by
• Guild (merchant and craft guilds) adapting how they are governing?
• Common law
• Taxes SUPPORTING QUESTIONS
• Trade & Commerce (merchant fair/markets) • How fair or unfair were the earliest forms of
• Trade Routes government?
• Dues
• Why were constitutions and laws written and
• Charter
followed?
Miscellaneous Terms:
• What are the roles of an active citizen?
• Surplus
• Hierarchy
• Fiefdom TRANSFER GOAL
• Manor Students will be able to independently use their learning
to participate as an active and civil citizen in a
democratic society.
ESSENTIAL SKILLS- Students will be skilled at…
• Identifying the different roles (jobs) in an economic UNDERSTANDINGS- Students will understand…
system. • The earliest forms of government favored the few
• Comparing the medieval economy to our modern over the masses.
economy. • Active citizens exchange ideas, exercise their
• Explaining how the rise of towns and the creation rights, and work toward the greater good.
of guilds changed the way goods were traded and • Rules of government and laws are written and
sold. followed to create order.
• Analyzing the ways in which the Crusades both
benefited and hindered the culture of the time.
• Tracing the ways in which goods and services were
KEY KNOWLEDGE- Students will know…
absorbed and morphed by other cultures. Forms of Government:
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 28• Monarchy • Exchanging ideas and working cooperatively for
• Oligarchy the greater good.
• Tyranny • Analyzing the ways in which a civilization’s
• Democracy architecture impacts or informs its civic ideals.
• Republic • Comparing and contrasting the ways a
• Roles of Citizens: civilization’s government meets the needs of
• Social class differing social classes.
• Senator
• Citizen
• Voters
• Jurors
• Taxpayers
• Military
• Office holders
Avenues for Change:
• Treaties
• Civic Virtue
• Protest
• Rebellion/Revolution
• Alliances
• Constitution
• Polis/Politics
ESSENTIAL SKILLS- Students will be skilled at…
• Evaluating the effectiveness of different types of
government.
• Identifying and acting on ways to participate as a
citizen.
• Analyzing and evaluating the fairness of written
laws.
• Explaining why governments change and evolve KINETIC WELLNESS
over time.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 29The mission of the Winnetka Kinetic Wellness • Present themselves as responsible members of the
department is to maintain a program that fosters growth community by demonstrating good character and
of the whole child in the physical, cognitive, and social sportsmanship
and emotional domains by exposing our students to a • Persevere through difficult decisions and reflect
wide variety of health, sport, fitness and team-building effectively on those decisions
concepts to instill a love for life-long activity, fitness, and • Learn in a safe space through the development of
recreation. a respectful learning community
Kinetic Wellness Department Beliefs Social-Emotional
It is important for students to…
Health and Wellness • Build on-going positive relationships through
It is important for students to… communication, acceptance, and compromise
• Understand the components of physical fitness: • Identify positive choices and understand how those
cardiovascular, muscular strength, muscular choices will strengthen the classroom and
endurance, and flexibility themselves
• Reflect on their own personal fitness levels • Recognize taking risks is an opportunity for growth
• Develop an understanding of lifetime fitness • Accept challenges with a positive attitude
concepts
Physical Development Students will experience units in the following strands
It is important for students to… of KW in Grade 6:
• Explore a variety of Kinetic Wellness strands • Physical Fitness
through teamwork, communication, and • Health and Wellness
cooperation • Team Sports
• Engage in age-appropriate skill development that • Individual/Dual Sports
challenges students to progress from grades K-8 • Dance and Movement
• Allow students the opportunity for play
Community and Civic Responsibility
It is important for students to…
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 30Empathy
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & • We believe through the cultivation of empathy, we
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING teach acceptance.
• We believe taking the perspective of others
Social-emotional learning nurtures children’s capacity to encourages respectful interactions.
become empathetic, accepting, and responsible citizens.
Children learn to embrace struggles as opportunities for
growth, develop self-awareness, and solve problems. Self-Management and Awareness
Ultimately, social-emotional learning is the foundation of • We believe children can learn to identify, manage,
all learning — as emotional well-being is essential to and regulate their emotions.
healthy, productive engagement in society. • We believe that children who are aware of their
choices understand how those choices can affect
Belief Statements others.
• We believe reflection helps children develop an
Communication awareness of their personal strengths and
• We believe socially competent children effectively weaknesses.
communicate their thoughts and feelings and
actively listen to others. Relationships
• We believe that relationship building is an ongoing
Community developmental process.
• We believe children deserve an emotionally safe • We believe children develop relationships through
environment for learning. the capacity to compromise, be flexible, and
• We believe socially competent children honor resolve conflicts.
individuals, accept differences, and work
collaboratively. Resiliency
• We believe children have a responsibility to be • We believe resilient children are willing to take
contributing members of society. risks.
• We believe resilient children embrace challenges,
persevere, and view mistakes as powerful
opportunities for growth.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 31CONCERT BAND
6TH GRADE RELATED STUDIES The Concert Band further develops the skills acquired in
PROGRAM the fifth grade program through theory studies, daily
The Related Studies Department at The Skokie School practices, and performances throughout the year. This
offers a strong program focusing on exploration, band is a full year commitment and meets every day first
discovery of talents and interests, problem solving, period. [JAZZ BANDS: Concert band members are
independence, and creativity. The related studies eligible for Jazz Band. They must audition at the
curriculum addresses different learning styles of middle beginning of the year. The audition will determine which
school students by offering new experiences emphasizing band they perform with for the year. Both jazz bands
teamwork, developing aesthetic values, encouraging (Lion and Jazz Ensemble) perform throughout the year.
quality craftsmanship, enhancing creative resources, and The groups meet twice weekly—once in the morning and
promoting physical well being of the student. The once after school.]
following courses are the related studies exploratory
courses for The Skokie School’s sixth graders. DRAMA
6th grade drama picks up on several of the themes from
ART 5th grade drama. Students are asked to further develop
Sixth graders in the Arts strand experience art for a 12- their skills in improvisation, pantomime, character
week period one time during the school year. Students development and the Actors Toolbox. In addition to
learn to use the elements and principles of design to theatre games and activities of traditional theatre
create individual and collaborative artworks using a training, students are asked to prepare a memorized
variety of media including drawing, painting, ceramics, solo performance. Drama students share their work, and
sculpture, mixed media, and digital/tech arts. The reflect upon their work and the work of their classmates.
Studio Arts curriculum is sometimes coordinated with Students explore digital storytelling using I-MOVIE. and
the sixth grade academic curriculum, and will include work together to craft a classroom mini-production.
elements of inquiry based, experiential, choice based,
problem based, project based, and social-emotional GENERAL MUSIC
learning experiences. The art program is designed to 6th Grade General music is a trimester course that
allow each student to problem-solve in a creative and focuses on developing musicianship through reading,
individual manner. Art promotes the development of a playing, performing, listening, and especially composing.
child perceptually, intellectually, creatively, emotionally, Students in this class expand their musical skills, apply
and socially. Art provides a unique way of thinking and music learning to composing/creating, reflect on their
problem solving which contributes to a positive self- growth as young musicians, and strengthen their
image. capacity to collaborate with others in music making.
Winnetka Public Schools District 36 Curriculum Summary Grade 6 Page 32You can also read
