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Sixth Grade Curriculum Guide
The purpose of this guide is to serve as a source of information regarding courses and services offered at Adams Middle School. The better informed the community is about its school, the greater the chances are for clear, meaningful communication between the school and the public.
Adams' curriculum is designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of high school and college. Advanced course work is offered in most academic subjects and in all grade levels. Elective programs provide opportunities for students to explore and develop interests in the fine arts and vocational areas. Each of these areas is briefly described within the guide. More complete information regarding each area of study or service can be obtained at the school office upon request.
An extracurricular program of organizations and athletics contributes positively to the educational program at Adams Middle School. Through this facet of our overall school program, we attempt to provide each student opportunities to find success, use leisure time wisely, provide service to the community and the school, develop special interests, establish friendships, and develop both leadership and support roles within the school setting.
We hope that this guide will be of assistance in understanding the school’s curriculum and services available at Adams Middle School.
Grade 6 Course Descriptions:
Language Arts 1
This is a course in the communication arts including composition, syntax, grammar, vocabulary study, listening skills, critical thinking skills, reference skills, and the conventions of writing including spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. The grammar taught in Language Arts 1 will aim for understanding the parts of speech and their function in sentence structure. The listening skills and viewing skills taught will relate to application in all content areas. Techniques for practical writing and creative composition are also emphasized.
Reading
This course provides instruction in the acquisition of developmental reading skills through an integrated reading, literature, listening, speaking, writing and vocabulary study approach. Literature selections will focus around themes especially written for, or appealing to, pre-adolescents.
Intensive Reading
Students who enter with Level I scores on the FCAT are placed in this smaller, more individualized reading course. The focus is on reading strategies and vocabulary study that assists students in becoming more proficient, confident readers and in improving their FCAT scores. The text Reading XL and literature selections focused around themes especially written for, or appealing to, pre-adolescents are utilized.
Geography
The purpose of World Cultures is to provide students with the opportunity to acquire an understanding of the interrelationships between people and their environment. The focus of the sixth grade program is on selected people and cultures of Asia and Africa. The people and cultures should be representative of major geographical regions of the world, levels of economic development and the role of free enterprise, historical development and political and value systems. Instruction is directed towards understanding and appreciating the life ways of other people.
Comprehensive Science I
This course is the first year of a sequential three year course of study into the exploratory experiences and activities in concepts of life, earth, space, and physical sciences. Three years of spiral, integrated course work will gradually shift from the student centered in grade six to more disciplined centered towards the end of eighth grade.
Comprehensive Science I, Gifted and Advanced/Honors
Students who are academically talented in science as identified by a combination of teacher recommendations, student performance and motivation, grades and standardized test scores are placed in Science, Advanced/ Honors. Students in the district’s Academically Gifted Program are placed in Science, Advanced/Honors/Gifted.
This course mirrors the course description for Comprehensive Science I while providing gifted and advanced/honors students with content enrichment to challenge creativity in the form of open ended activities and in-depth research.
Mathematics 1
This course provides a transition from arithmetic skills to a higher level of mathematical content. Emphasis should be placed on problem solving. The content should include,but not limited to: decimals, estimation strategies, fractions and mixed numbers, geometry, graphing, introduction to algebraic expressions and equations, integers, probability and statistics, ratio and proportion, measurement, number theory, numeration, percent, problem solving strategies, use of calculators and computers, and whole numbers.
Mathematics 1, Gifted and Advanced/Honors
Students who are academically talented in mathematics as identified by a combination of teacher recommendations, student performance and motivation, grades and standardized test scores are placed in Math, Advanced/Honors. Students in the district’s Academically Gifted Program are placed in Math, Advanced/Honors Gifted.
This course enhances the sixth grade mathematics curriculum with an emphasis on problem solving. The content includes, but is not limited to: decimals, estimation strategies, fractions and mixed numbers, geometry, graphing, introduction to algebraic expressions and equations, integers, probability and statistics, ratio and proportion, measurement number theory, numeration, percent, problem solving strategies, use of calculators and computers, and whole numbers.
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