Fifth & Sixth Grade

In a departmentalized program with four core subject teachers and a robust advisory program, students tackle challenging problem-solving, long-term projects, and in-depth studies of language arts, math, social studies, and science.

Students engage in cross-curricular work through block periods of American Studies (Language Arts and Social Studies) and STEM (Math and Science) and engage in investigations that require focus, collaboration, and higher-level thinking skills. With an emphasis on process as much as product, students continue building self-reflection skills to monitor their growth and progress. In addition, students explore expanding leadership opportunities to advocate for themselves and others.

 

Language Arts

Fifth Grade

Vocabulary study - word choice accuracy, determining meaning, and building comprehension Using multiple print and digital sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic Writing multi-paragraph pieces and applying organizational structure appropriate to task, purpose, and audience Annotation and active reading strategies Drawing evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research

Sixth Grade

Making inferences, analyzing, and synthesizing information effectively Citing textual evidence to support analysis Narrative techniques - dialogue, description, and pacing Clarifying relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence Command of grammar and mechanics - capitalization, punctuation, and spelling Outlining, editing, conferencing, and revising written work Word relationships and nuances in word meanings

 

 

Math

Fifth Grade	Equivalent expressions - multi-digit multiplication and division Comparison and order of fractions and decimals Operations - fractions, decimals, and percentages Data and probability
Sixth Grade	Order of operations Evaluating algebraic expressions Exponential expressions Rate and proportion

 

 

Social Studies

Fifth Grade	Building understanding of self and others - multiple aspects of identity and cultural identifiers Native and Indigenous voices and experiences, past and present  Black and African-American voices and experiences, past and present Study of the three branches of U.S. government and Bill of Rights
Sixth Grade	Communication and relationships across difference Inclusion and exclusion within American identity and the effects of upstanders and activists U.S. government - immigration structures, views, and policies over time U.S. immigrant voices and experiences, past and present

 

 

Science and STEM/Maker

Fifth Grade	Motion, stability, and energy - forces and interactions Earth systems  Human body systems and development  Engineering design
Sixth Grade	Classifying matter - properties of matter and atomic composition Earth and human impacts  Photosynthesis, DNA, and cellular biology  Engineering design

 

 

Anti-Bias Education 

Fifth Grade	Dominant culture and assimilation Microaggressions Cultural appropriation Environmental racism
Sixth Grade	Systemic/institutional oppression Marginalization Intersectionality Homophobia and transphobia White supremacy Uprising