Social Studies
According to 6th-grade social studies standards, “students will focus on geography, history, and culture in global regions. Students will analyze the regional, physical, and cultural characteristics of places. The analysis will show how these factors influenced people who lived there and how the people and characteristics have changed over time.”
Sixth grade uses the online curriculum from the Teacher’s Curriculum Institute (TCI), which has been a great resource for our students. It provides a variety of activities that help them learn the material. All students have online access and can work on the website if they are absent and do not have their note packets.
So far this year, students have learned about the earliest humans and the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and—most recently—India. As always, students begin by learning the geography of the region to identify the geographical features that led to settlement in the area. They have found many connections between ancient history and our present world!
Students have leveraged a variety of activities and strategies to learn new concepts and ideas. They build their comprehension and understanding through class participation and discussions. Students also demonstrate their learning through hands-on activities or short quizzes throughout each unit, rather than a formal end-of-unit assessment. After finishing their studies on India, we plan to explore the ancient cultures of China, Greece, and Rome to end the school year.
As stated in previous communications, students can reference their daily class agendas for each course in Google Classroom whenever they are absent. Students and parents can also access PowerSchool to view grades and missing assignments. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any teacher with questions.
Science
At Central Lee, our science classes follow the Next Generation Science Standards, which enhance student learning through Three-Dimensional Learning. These standards encourage deeper thinking, hands-on exploration, and collaboration, helping students develop the skills scientists use to generate questions, explanations, and innovative ideas. This approach prepares students not only for real-world problem-solving and communication but also for potential careers in science and engineering.
In 6th grade science, we begin the year with life sciences, where students build an understanding of cells, body systems, reproduction, and genetics. Currently, we are exploring engineering and design, and soon, we will transition to physical science, focusing on chemical reactions and thermal energy. We will conclude the year with Earth science, studying Earth’s materials, processes, and natural resources over time.
Each unit includes a lab or project that allows students to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. Our goal is for students to see how scientific concepts are interconnected and relate their learning to the world around them.
Additionally, Central Lee Middle School hosted its first Science Fair competition on February 5! Students presented outstanding projects, and I am incredibly proud of everyone's hard work in science research this past semester, even those who did not participate in the fair itself. Students will also have opportunities to compete with other schools across the state. If your child is participating in an upcoming science fair, please remind them to check their Google Classroom for updates and bring home any important notes from sponsors. If any 6th-grade students or parents have questions, concerns, or need guidance, please feel free to reach out to me or Amanda Myhre.
Central Lee Middle School Science Fair Participants
Math
In 6th grade math, students learn math concepts in depth rather than simply memorizing rules or math facts. The curriculum, Illustrative Mathematics, is built around hands-on activities, real-world examples, and peer collaboration. Every lesson includes a warm-up activity, individual activities, group activities, and a cool-down activity.
The cool-down activity is usually a short formative assessment that allows me to determine students' understanding. During collaborative activities, students are expected to explain how they solved a problem while using mathematical language and vocabulary. In our curriculum, it is important for students to understand the process behind a problem—not just the solution.
Students are currently in the middle of Unit 5, which focuses on decimals. They have reviewed how to add and subtract decimals, and they have extended that knowledge by learning how to multiply and divide them.
Students are provided with a math workbook, helping them to stay organized. Please note that students are expected to bring their workbooks to class every day and complete the lesson within this book. Our workbook also includes practice problems students can use for extra practice or to study for upcoming tests or quizzes.
Reading/Language Arts
In 6th grade reading class, students continue to grow and expand by studying a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction texts. Our daily learning targets come from the Iowa Core Standards and guide our progress throughout each unit. The curriculum consists of verified resources aligned with the Iowa Core Standards, including iReady, CommonLit, Scholastic Scope, and carefully selected whole-class novels.
Through the use of diverse texts, students have developed skills such as determining central ideas, producing unbiased summaries, determining the meaning of interesting or new words, identifying story elements, analyzing the author’s purpose and word choice, inferring the theme of the story, citing text evidence, and much more! Beyond strengthening their reading skills, students have used literature to explore meaningful topics such as growing up, love (friendship and family), and success.
In ELA, students are learning about different genres of writing. They complete daily quick-writes, responding to a high-interest writing prompt (provided by the teacher) or choosing a writing idea from a previous brainstorm session. The purpose is to increase writing stamina, practice generating ideas, apply recently learned strategies, and become comfortable sharing their writing with others. We’ve seen students grow in their independence and confidence as they make their own writing decisions.
In each unit of writing, we focus our lessons on the three major genres of writing: argumentative, informative, and narrative. Throughout these units, students work on mastering specific grade-level skills such as style, organization, purpose, applying the writing process, gathering reliable information from multiple sources, and properly citing those sources. As a 6th-grade team, we use the Iowa Core Standards to map our learning throughout the year to address a wide range of skills.
I look forward to providing additional reading and writing opportunities for our students through the upcoming reading competition (Battle of the Books) and creative writing opportunities.
Pictures:
6th graders are putting their story element skills to the test in a thrilling breakout room challenge!
6th graders are digging deep into their arguments as they brainstorm reasons for and against buying and selling fossils!