In Grade Six, students will read a range of challenging books, articles, and texts, and will be expected to demonstrate their understanding of the material by answering questions and contributing to class discussions. In writing, students will continue to work on their use of language, sentence structure, and organization of ideas. They will also be expected to integrate information from different sources and respond to challenging content through written interpretation and analysis. Activities in these areas will include:

• Provide detailed summaries of texts.
• Determe the theme of a text and how it is conveyed.
• Describe how a particular story or play unfolds and how characters respond to plot developments.
• Use a range of reading strategies to determine the meaning of unknown words as they are used in a text.
• Compare and contrasting various texts, including poems and stories.
• Understand the figurative and connotative (implied) meaning of words and phrases.
• Identify and evaluate specific claims or arguments in a text.
• Support written claims or arguments with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
• Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.
• Participate in class discussions about various texts and topics.
• Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources.

In Grade Six, students will read across all content areas a wide range of literature, including stories and poems. Additionally, they will read to learn information about history, the world, science, and other areas.

Writing tasks in Grade Six may include stories, essays, reports, and argumentative papers. Please review the chart below to see a few examples of how your child will develop important writing skills across grade levels.

• Demonstrate communication skills that contribute to positive relationships.
• Demonstrate effective listening and feedback techniques.
• Demonstrate practices and procedures that assure personal and workplace health and hygiene.
• Demonstrate safe food handling and preparation techniques that prevent cross contamination from potentially hazardous foods, between raw and ready-to-eat foods, and between animal and fish sources and other food products.
• Critique the selection of foods to promote a healthy lifestyle.
• Prepare various fruits, vegetables, starches, legumes, dairy products, fats, and oils using safe handling and professional preparation techniques.
• Prepare various salads, dressings, marinades, and spices using safe handling and professional preparation techniques.
• Prepare breads, baked goods and desserts using safe handling and professional preparation techniques.
• Demonstrate cooking methods that increase nutritional value, lower calorie and fat content, and utilize herbs and spices to enhance flavor.
• Prepare food for presentation and assessment.
• Maintain test kitchen/ laboratory and related equipment and supplies.
• Implement procedures that affect quality product performance.
• Apply standards for food quality.
• Demonstrate professional skills in using a variety of equipment, tools, and supplies for fashion, apparel, and textile construction, alteration, and repair.

The Illinois Learning Standards for Fine Arts were developed using the National Standards for Arts Education. District 103 adheres to the Illinois Learning Standards. Our most important goals throughout the Fine Arts program are to encourage students to reach their potential, gain confidence in their ability, think creatively, develop appreciation for various styles, and develop a positive feeling toward art and music and its integration into daily living.

Art

The Grade Six art curriculum focuses on the following:

• Distinguish changes in value.( tints, tones shades & blends ).
• Recognize proportion as a measure or scale of size to which an object is in relationship to the whole.
• Identify rhythm as a principle of design that repeats elements to create the illusion of movement ( i.e. op art & modern art ).
• Construct clay forms using the coil method.
• Construct a three dimensional sculpture using a variety of materials which could include (wire, plaster, paper mache’, cardboard, wood and metal).
• Expose students to textile design using various methods and techniques (weaving, batik, macramé).
• Identify and develop drawing skills through still life, portraits, perspective, cartooning, animation, abstract design, contour/gesture drawings and organic themes.
• Recognize the role of artists past and present ( i.e. Early Colonial history, arts of China, India, Japan, South America, and Africa ).
• Recognize distinguishing characteristics that identify a specific artwork as relating to a particular style or culture.
• Explore careers in the field of art (graphic artist, architect, illustrator, fashion designer).

To view the comprehensive Scope and Sequence of the District Art Curriculum, please District Art Curriculum, a Parent' Guide.

Music

The Grade Six music curriculum focuses on the following:

• Demonstrate instrumental improvisation.
• Recognize score marks.
• Recognize key signatures.
• Identify and perform chords on piano.
• Identify and create canon.
• Identify unity and contrast.
• Recognize dotted notes.
• Recognize sixteenth notes.
• Label rhythms as 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 meter.
• Identify a variety of dynamics, tempo and articulation.
• Identify the ways a composer creates mood.
• Identify and follow a conductor's score.

The comprehensive Scope and Sequence of the District Music Curriculum is currently under review. It will be posted when finalized.

An Optional Fine Arts Program is available to students in Grade Six. This includes:

• Chorus
• Band
• Orchestra

Additional ENCORE Classes

To supplement the classes included in the “Additional Curriculum Areas”, Daniel Wright also offers several ENCORE classes for Grade Six. Curricular descriptions of these classes will be added as soon as the curriculum is aligned to the National Standards.

• Stem

Lincolnshire D103 provides a fully equipped library at Daniel Wright School. The library is specifically designed to accommodate the age range and needs of the students within the building. In addition to a rich array of hard and soft cover books that have been carefully selected with the student body in mind, students will also find ebooks and databases, videos, reference books and pictures, computers, study areas, reading areas, and a staff of a trained librarian and assistant to provide support to the students as well as the teaching staff. Daniel Wright maintains a collection of material that supports classroom curriculum and provides for individual needs, interests, abilities, and maturity levels. Based on classroom curricular needs, the library can provide classes and projects to enhance the learning process.

Students visit the library with their class and/or on an individual basis, depending on student needs, teacher discretion and/or assignment requirements. Specific or flexible scheduling is developed in collaboration with the classroom teacher and the library staff.

For additional information about the library program for District 103, please review the Library Media Center Standards.

In Grade Six, your child will learn the concept of rates and ratios and use these tools to solve word problems. Students will work on quickly and accurately dividing multi-digit whole numbers and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing multi-digit decimals. Students will extend their previous work with fractions and decimals to understand the concept of rational numbers; any number that can be made by dividing one integer by another, such as ½, 0.75, or 2. Students will also learn how to write and solve equations and mathematical statements using symbols, such as 20+x = 35. They apply these skills in solving multi-step word problems.

Activities in these areas will include:

• Understand and apply the concepts of ratios and unit rates, and using the correct language to describe them (for example, the ratio of wings to beaks in a flock of birds is 2 to 1, because for every 2 wings there is 1 beak).
• Build on knowledge of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.
• Understand that positive and negative numbers are located on opposite sides of 0 on a number line.
• Use pairs of numbers, including negative numbers, as coordinates for locating or placing a point on a graph.
• Write and determining the value of expressions with whole-number exponents (such as 15+32).
• Identify and write equivalent mathematical expressions by applying the properties of operations. For example, recognizing that 2 (3+x) is the same as 6+2x.
• Understand that solving an equation such as 2+x = 12 means answering the question, “What number does x have to be to make this statement true?”
• Represent and analyze the relationships between independent and dependent variables.
• Solve problems involving area and volume.

In response to the State of Illinois’ adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for student learning, District 103 (in collaboration with Area 125 Consortium School Districts 76, 79, 96, 102, 103 and 125) has aligned its mathematics curricula to the CCSS.

• 6th Grade Common Core: This course covers all of the 6th grade Common Core Standards.
• Pre-Algebra Survey: This accelerated course covers all of the 6th and some of the 7th grade Common Core Standards.
• Pre-Algebra: This honors class covers all of the 6th and 7th grade Common Core Standards, including topics covered in Pre-Algebra survey.

The Grade Six math curriculum will incorporate the Standards for Mathematical Practice that will support the Common Core State Standards.

This overview for Mathematics, provided by the Council of the Great City Schools, reflects how the Common Core State Standards have guided our development of a rich and comprehensive curriculum for our students.

District 103 provides students in Grade Six with a comprehensive Physical Education and Health curriculum. This curriculum reflects developmentally appropriate expectations for students in the areas of physical activity, movement, health-related fitness, sportsmanship and group cooperation in team and group activities. In addition to Physical Education classes, recess is offered to students on a daily basis.

Instruction in building habits for a healthy lifestyle is included in the Physical Education classes and the health classes. These habits for a healthy life style focus on taking care of your body, both physically and emotionally, and on making safe choices in a variety of situations.

The Grade Six Physical Education curriculum is based on the following goals:

• Demonstrate mature patterns of locomotor skills.
• Demonstrate skill and execution of movements.
• Apply movement concepts to strategy and game situations.
• Create open space while using locomotor movements.
• Describe how being physically active leads to a healthy body.
• Monitor and understand the effects of exercise on the human body.
• Work towards a common goal and making responsible decisions.
• Demonstrate decision making skills both independently and with others during physical activity.

The Science Curriculum taught at Daniel Wright School reflects the recommendations of the Next Generation Science Standards.

The Daniel Wright Junior High School Science teachers rewrote the science curriculum during the 2014-2015 school year using the Next Generation Science Standards. This is the first year (2015-2016) the new units are being taught. There may be some variation between the intended curriculum, what is described here, and the implemented curriculum. Revisions may be made to the curriculum units as the unit is being taught.

To better understand the structure of the Science curriculum for the middle school (6-8) students, an explanation of four major disciplines within the field of science can be found by accessing the links below.

• Physical Sciences
• Life Sciences
• Earth and Space Sciences
• Engineering, Technology and Application of Science

Science Units taught in Grade Six include:

Energy and Forces

In this unit, students will explore force, friction, motion and gravity. Using Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, students will apply what they have learned about force, friction, motion and gravity. They will understand how motion and forces are interrelated. Students will analyze electric and magnetic fields.

After looking at the concept of force, students will then develop an understanding of energy and that energy can be transformed and transferred but never destroyed. Students will understand that there are many forms of energy however the unit will focus on kinetic, and potential. Students will collect data and interpret this data to understand the relationships with an energy system.

Chemistry

In this unit, students will develop an understanding of basic atomic structure and composition. They will recognize the characteristics of chemical reactions and how matter and mass are conserved in these reactions. Students will develop models related to thermal energy transfer, changes in kinetic energy, particle motion, and temperature changes. Students will develop an understanding of how synthetic materials come from natural resources and how they impact society.

Geoscience

In this unit, students will review the concept of convection currents to understand the motion of Earth’s mantle. This will lead to the discussion of seafloor spreading and plate tectonic movement. Students will then analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks to explore the theories behind continental drift. After looking at Earth’s history, students will discover that different ecosystems formed in which living and nonliving components are interdependent on one another. Students will begin to see this interdependence by becoming a part of the water cycle model and studying how energy flows within food chains and food webs. We will conclude this unit, with a look at environmental issues that arise with population growth, numbers and resource availability within an ecosystem.

Scientific Inquiry Method is integrated into the Science Curriculum.

The Science Performance Expectations for Grade Six have been recommended by the Next Generation Science Standards, a collaborative group of over 20 states, including Illinois.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children develop awareness and management of their emotions; set and achieve important personal and academic goals; use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships; and demonstrate decision-making and responsible behaviors to achieve school and life success. There is a strong research base that these SEL competencies improve students’ social/emotional development, readiness to learn, classroom behavior, and academic performance. Please see the District’s Scope and Sequence for Social Emotional Learning.

In addition to our curriculum for Social Emotional Learning, the District also provides lessons based on the Child Protection units for the prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Erin’s Law). The Committee for Children, a national organization, has developed these lessons. For the Scope and Sequence for these classroom lessons, please see the Scond Step's Child Protection Unit document.

Digital Citizenship

District 103, using the support of an expert consultant in the field of Digital Media and Technology, has developed procedures and policies for a 1:1 Teaching & Learning environment. These procedures are based on:

• Best practices in teaching digital citizenship.
• Integrating digital tools with instruction.
• Role playing various classroom situations and discussing guidelines.
• The integration of technology in today's society at large.

Using the Common Sense Media Curriculum, student lessons were developed at each grade level to support the expectations of being a good citizen while online and when using technology in the classroom and at home.

The aim of Social Studies is the promotion of civic competence – the knowledge, intellectual processes, and democratic dispositions required of students to be active and engaged participants in public life. Civic ideals and practices enable students to learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizens of a democracy, and to appreciate the importance of active citizenship.

District 103, in partnership with neighboring districts, has begun the revision of the Social Studies curriculum which currently reflects the Illinois Social Studies Standards. The revision process is being guided by the newly issued College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework, and is supported by the Illinois State Board of Education. To view the entire document that explains the C3 Framework, please visitthe National Council for the Social Studies.

Africa

In this unit, students will learn the impact of Africa’s history on its present day society and culture. The unit will cover early African kingdoms and their involvement with the Europeans that later led to European colonization of the continent. The unit will also examine colonization’s immediate and lasting effects on emerging nations like Rwanda, Sudan, and South Africa. South Africa will be especially examined as ethnic groups competed for political and economic power resulting in the Apartheid and the world’s response. Students will read the novel Waiting for the Rain by Sheila Gordon as a means to explore Apartheid’s connection to Africa.

The Americas

In this unit, students will exam Mexico, Central America, and South America. The focus of the unit is the understanding of culture and how history has shaped current affairs in the region. European colonization and imperialism will be highlighted throughout the unit as well as the lasting effects left behind following independence.

China

In this unit, students will learn about China’s dynastic history through modern China’s communist society. The unit will focus specifically on the impact of Confucius’s teachings, the Mandate of Heaven, creation and implications of the building of the Great Wall, Shi Huang-di, the Silk Route and its impact on the spread of Buddhism, Mongol invasion, end of dynastic rule, the struggle for creation of a new government, Communism, Mao Zedong, Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and communism’s effects on present day China. Students will also read Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang to examine the impact on Mao’s cultural revolution on the people of China. The unit will also briefly explore the cultures and histories of Japan and the Koreas.

Geography and Culture

In this unit, students will explore the Five Themes of Geography and culture. Instruction will focus on location with a review of latitude and longitude, movement, place, region, and human-environment interaction. Students will also learn the universals associated with a culture and what each universal includes.

India

In this unit, students will explore the impact of India’s history on its present day society and culture. The unit will cover the Aryan influence in the creation of Hinduism and the caste system, the creation of Buddhism, dynastic rule including the Islamic presence in India, British colonization, the movement for Independence, the role of Mohandas Gandhi in the independence movement, and contemporary Indian/Pakistani relations. Students will also read Homeless Bird to explore modern Indian culture.

Early Civilizations

In this unit, students will be introduced to early river civilizations. Students will learn how hunter-gatherer societies developed into civilizations. This unit will include an introduction to the Fertile Crescent river valley as well as an introduction to the rise and fall of empires. Students will explore the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Sumer, Babylon, Phoenicia, Assyria, Persia, and Egypt. This unit will also include the origins, beliefs, and legacy of Judaism.

The above units were selected and created by District 103 teaching staff.

Sixth-grade students at Daniel Wright participate daily in Spanish language classes. The curriculum addresses each of the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages — communication, cultures, connections, comparisons and community. The instructional goals for each thematic unit integrate language, culture and content in age-appropriate ways. The focus is on what students can do with the language and languages classes are taught almost entirely in Spanish.

Performance Goals – Novice High

By the end of sixth grade, students will be able to communicate using sentences on topics they have studied in class. They will understand the Spanish that their teacher uses when working in familiar contexts and will be able to understand familiar language in authentic written and spoken texts. They will usually be able to handle short social interactions by asking and answering questions.

Unit 1: Going to the Market

Essential Question: What role do markets play?

Students will visit markets in Spain and in other countries around the Spanish-speaking world and will discuss what they want or need to buy at the market. They will bargain for those items in the local currency allowing them to gain a sense of currency conversion in different countries relative to the dollar. Students will be able to state their opinions about markets giving simple advantages and disadvantages.

Unit 2: Community and Service

Essential Question: What is the impact of our actions on others?

Students will consider the needs of communities locally and globally and will discuss ways that they might help. After considering how individuals help in local communities in (name of country), they will select an organization in a Spanish-speaking country that is of interest to them and will create a presentation to explain the goals of that organization. As a class they will select one not-for-profit organization that is deserving of support and will identify ways to help. They will also consider their roles as members of their local community, what they do and how they and others feel in different situations.

Unit 3: Growing Up: Rites of Passage

Essential Question: What does it mean to “grow up”?

In development — This unit will give students a chance to reflect on who they are and how their life changes at different ages. They will consider their own experiences and compare them to how young people in other cultures mark key moments in their lives. They will consider the importance of birthdays and will be able to describe the Quinceañera comparing those traditions with traditions from other cultures talking with others about what they like and don’t like for birthday celebrations. They will prepare a timeline of significant events in their lives commenting on what they did and will predict what they are going to do at key future events.

Unit 4: Global Citizenship

Essential Questions: What is a cultural identity? Who belongs?

In development — Students will begin by considering reasons why people move and will consider how they feel when in new situations. They will then compare their experiences to those of today’s immigrants, refugees and migrants looking at the current situation in the Dominican Republic. Students will learn more about their family heredity, where they come from and the cultural influences on their family. Using personal example they will explore the concept of how people assimilate by explaining the analogy of the melting pot or salad bowl. They will prepare a report about their cultural identity and will also present the story of someone who is moving from one culture to another.