The basics:
In math, students learn the concept ofಞ rates and ratios and use these tools to solve wordꦍ problems. Students work on dividing multi-digit whole numbers and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing multi-digit decimals.
Students extend their prior work with fractions and decimals to understand th𓆉e concept of rational numbers — any number that can be made by dividing one integer by another, such as 1/2, 0.75, or 2. Students also learn how to write and solve equations — mathematical statements using symbols, such as 20 + x = 35 — and apply these skills in solving multi-step word problems.
In English, students read a range of challenging books, articles, and texts. They are expected to demonstrate their understanding by answering questions and contributing to class discussions. In writing, students continue t🎉o work on their use of language, sentence structure, and organization of paragraphs and essays. They are expected to integrate information from different sources and cite it in their written work as they use language to interpret and analyze fiction and non-fiction works.
Inside the classroom: English
Becky Kuts, 6th grade ELA teacher, MS 322, Manhattan
The most important ELA standard in 6th grade is identifying and evaluating the argument and specific claims in a text, including whether the reasoning and the evidence are valid. Students need to be able to ask and answer questions aboutꩲ the world around them, evaluate evidence, justify their position on a topic, and solve problems.
We build lessons around this standard in all classes. One is “word generation,” a curriculum that uses topics in current events to help students identify and evaluate arguments – and also learn new vocabulary. Students will do a wee💯k-long unit on a topic like climate change, teen smoking, or the death penalty. Across their core subject classes, they’ll read, write, debate, and use five target vocabulary words around this topic throughout the week. They’re engaged i🍰n rich discussion and have to weigh evidence to evaluate other people’s arguments and develop their own thinking.
Group work also helps teach this standard. “Reciprocal reading” is one strategy we use in many classes. Students sit in a group and 💟read a complex text together. As they read, students record their predictions, summaries, clarifications, and questions on their own graphic organizer. Then, they get back together with their group and🎃 discuss the text. As students discuss and ask each other questions, they are able to comprehend and analyze the text’s meaning and arguments together.
“Station work” is another strategy we use to build all literacy skills. During a poetry unit, students were taught how to analyze poetry in three different ways: understanding figurative language, understanding perspective, and being authors themselves by writing their own poems. In th𒁃e classroom, we set up one physical “station” for each of the three key skills. As students rotated through the stations, we assessed which of the three skills each student had mastered so that we could support struggling students.
Questions from 2015 test:
Students read two- to three-page articles and fiction exc🌄erpts, then answer mult🦂iple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions.
1) The article, “Get Your ZZZZZs!” discusses sleep patterns and the effects of sleep deprivation. The authors use the phrase “impaired concentration” in line 35 to mean that drivers are
A: irritated
B: injured
C: unconcerned
D: unfocused
2) The memoir “Stitches in Time” describes an elderly woman and her vintage sewing machine.
Read this sentence from lines 54 and 55.
I’m grateful, too, for a woman who sews way into the night, who dispenses love one stitch at a time.
The phrase “dispenses love one stitch at a time” mainly suggests that Ruby:
A: is obsessed with her interest in sewing
B: approaches her sewing in a tender and patient way
C: shows her kindness for others through her sewing
D: divides her attentio🃏n between sewing and her familℱy
3) The article “Goo Fighters” discusses an invention that protects buildings from fire.
How does the story of Jim and Debbie Hodges’s experience in lines 1 through 18 contribute to the article? Use two details from the article to support your response.
Answers: 1. D; 2. C; 3. Three points possible
Inside the classroom: Math
Glory Carrion-Gomes and Peter Ostrander, 6th grade team teachers, American Dream School, Bronx
From the very beginning of 6th grade, we included our students in ๊regular data analysis and goal setting. We shared our grade-wide data with all the students – including the fact that nearly 85% of the class was not yet on grade level for math. Our goal was to fill in the gaps in our students’ background knowledge, while simultaneously teaching the grade-level materials they would need to master for the state exams.
Before beginning each unit of study, we administer standards-based diagnostic assessments to help set goals for each student. At the✤ end of each unit, we us✨e colorful bar graphs to help students visualize their tremendous growth.
A safe learning environment makes students feel comfortab🌄le to ask for assistance. In our class, each student has a set of one green, yellow, and red laminated cards. During group and independent work, they use the cards to signal if they feel confident – or if they are stuck and in need of help. Mistakes create opportunities for learning.
Our classroom culture creates a healthy balance between rigor and fun. We keep things light and take “brain breaks” when we sense students getting restless. They respond beautifully when adults acknowledge that breaks are sometimes necessary, and this results in greater productivity. We regularly praise them for classroom successes of all kinds, from demonstrating excellent teamwork to achieving mas🎶tery on an assessment.
One memorable learning activity this year dealt with finding the least common multiple in a real-world context. We asked our students to line up to purchase “concert tickets,” while we played music and acted as promoters. We distributed symbolic “free album downloads” to every second person, “front row seats” to every fourth person, and “backstage passes” to every fifth person on the line. We then asked them to figure out which person on line would receive all three promotions, and to explain why. It was a fun and energetic lesson that our students still talk about, and more importantly, it helped 🀅them to understand the usefulness of the least common multiple.
Questions from 2015 test:
1) Arnold’s entire workout consisted of 10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 25 minutes of lifting weights, and 15 minutes on the treadmill. What was the ratio of the number of minutes he lifted weights to the total number of minutes of his entire workout?
A: 1 : 1
B: 1 : 2
C: 3 : 10
D: 5 : 8
2) Solve the equation below.
0.3r = 2.1
A: r = 0.7
B: r = 1.8
C: r = 7
D: r = 18
3) To convert a temperature from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature in degrees Celsius is multiplied by 1.8, and then 32 is added to the product. Write an expression that can be used to convert a temperature from degrees Celsius, C, to degrees Fahrenheit, and then use that expression to convert 25 degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit. Show your work.
4) Jorge bought a crate of floor tiles for $95.94. The crate had 6 boxes of floor tiles. Each box contained 20 floor tiles. Write and solve an equation to determine the cost per box, b. Then write and solve a second equation to determine the cost per tile, t, to the nearest cent. Show your work.
Answers: 1. B; 2. C; 3. Two points possible. 4. Three points possible: $15.99 per box, 80¢ per tile