Application

Fine Arts

Movement and Physical Education

Music

Sixth Grade Curriculum

The ongoing commitment of the Berry College Elementary School and Middle School is to provide a model of the best in educational practice for children, the college, and the community. In collaboration with the Berry College Charter School of Education and Human Sciences, the school serves children by providing a quality education which will enable the fullest development of their potential in a child-centered program. An integrated curriculum and discovery-oriented activities reflect the child's decisions and interests. A collaborative environment provides opportunities for the child to construct a personal knowledge of the world

Language Arts: Berry’s language arts program is taught through a reading/writing workshop approach. Specific skills related to the conventions of writing and spelling are taught through the context of student’s individual work. Students establish and work towards significant, relevant goals in reading comprehension and composition. Students set personal goals and seek professional publication of finished writing.

Appreciation and enjoyment are at the heart of the literature component. Literature is selected through individual preferences, literature groups, and whole class reading assignments. Students are taught how to interpret and respond to historical and cultural selections. Reading comprehension is elevated through vocabulary building. Students are taught to identify main ideas and supporting positions and how conclusions can be drawn from the readings.

Mathematics: Berry’s mathematics program is based heavily on critical thinking, advanced problem solving, computational excellence, and continual review. Algebraic principles and thoughts are explored throughout the sixth grade program.

Students are expected to achieve and maintain a high understanding of mathematical concepts. The foundation of the program is excellence in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If a student has mastered the foundational knowledge, mathematics ceases to be laborious and prepares a student for in-depth understanding of new material. A continuous review of material learned throughout the year is done daily, ensuring knowledge isn’t just learned for a week but it’s mastered for life.

The main focal point of the mathematics course is the critical thinking and advanced problem solving component. Students explore mathematics through real-world problems and creative modeling. Students use technology to assist in explaining mathematical concepts in their own words.

The sixth grade mathematics course will cover: exploration of patterns and number sense; operations dealing with decimals and fractions; ration proportion, and percent; statistics and probability; and geometrical relationships.

Science: Berry’s science program creates environments in which the teacher, the community, and the students work together as active learners through inquiry-based instruction. Hands-on and practical laboratory experiences are at the core of the science program. Students develop their understanding of the scientific method through problem solving and experimentation.

The sixth-grade course of study focuses on life science. Students progress from studying individual organisms to recognizing patterns in ecosystems and developing understandings about the cellular dimensions of living systems. Topics include cells and heredity, bacteria and plants, animals, human biology and health, and ecology.

Social Studies: Berry’s social studies curriculum integrates the study of the land, art, and cultures of world regions. Students explore geographical, economical, political, historical, and anthropological relationships in order to increase awareness of world cultures. Instruction is designed to promote knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to support citizenship.

Sixth graders begin with a study of ancient civilizations progressing chronologically through modern times. Topics include the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent region, Egypt and Nubia, India, China, Ancient Greece, Rome, the Byzantine and Muslim Empires, civilizations of Africa, the ancient Americas, Europe in the Middle Ages through conquests in America and Africa, and the world in the Twentieth Century.

Exploratory Classes
Art, music/theater, Spanish, P.E., information science (use of libraries and research), and multi-media applications are offered as exploratory classes meeting daily for six-week periods. These courses provide middle school students with meaningful learning that directly relates to their known need for a wide variety of experiences. A discipline based approach is used in the teaching of the arts. This includes the study of history, appreciation, production and criticism.

Art: The middle school art curriculum centers on the study of the Principles of Design and the Elements of Art, and is supported by our textbook Portfolios by Barrett Kendal Publishing. The students utilize various equipment and media such as graphite and color pencil, watercolor and tempera paint, clay and concrete. Proper techniques for using these mediums are introduced and practiced. Through reading and discussion of our text, students are exposed to the elements of art and principles of design as they apply to the appreciation and criticism of works of art. We also study various artists and artistic movements in the history of art and the importance of art in the cultures of our world.

Informational Sciences: In this course students learn how to effectively use Berry’s libraries: Memorial Library, The College of Education’s Media Center, and Barstow Library. Methods of research, use of electronic card catalogues, and online databases will be introduced.

Multimedia Applications I: The purpose of this course is to provide students with the basic fundamentals of multimedia production. The course will cover fundamentals of working with images, sound, and presentations combining various media.

Multimedia Applications II: The focus of Part II of Multimedia Applications is the creation and use of digital video. Students will apply concepts covered in Multimedia I create a finished product.

Music: The middle school music curriculum emphasizes the understanding of musical skills such as technique, playing, creating, singing, reading and listening. Students also explore the musical concepts of dynamics, tone color, tempo, rhythm, harmony and melody. Learners demonstrate their knowledge of music through performance, listening, and appreciation of a variety of styles of music from different periods and cultures.

Physical Education: The focus of the middle school physical education program is the introduction and exploration of physical education skills and concepts. Physical education emphasizes the total development of the child (i.e. physical, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional development). At the elementary level students are guided through a series of developmentally appropriate experiences and activities that promote a desire to engage in physical activities, create a sense of self worth, encourage cooperation, self control, and lead to choices that promote a healthy life style. Physical education instruction includes vigorous physical activity, diagnosis and learning of neuromuscular skills, information about physical activity and fitness, and time to enjoy the application of skills and knowledge.

Spanish: Our Spanish curriculum fosters an appreciation and enthusiasm for the study of foreign language and culture. Emphasis is on communication which is taught authentically by a native Spanish speaker through songs, games, rhymes, and other activities. Grade specific themes are integrated into Spanish vocabulary study and activities. In addition to the Spanish exploratory course, Spanish I is offered to our Eight grade students for high school credit.