6th Grade

ELA/Lit and Social Studies:

• Language Arts/Literature: Grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation are part of our ELA curriculum.  We will focus on these areas regularly throughout the year to advance our reading and writing skills and understanding of the English language.
• Reading: We will read short stories, novels and poetry as well as informational texts to help prepare for the NYS test in March. We will read several novels that coincide with the Social Studies curriculum to enrich our understanding of ancient history. 
• Writing: Strong paragraphs are paramount and will progress into longer essays. 6th grade focuses on textual details to support main ideas.  We write regularly in class focusing on strong, complex sentences to express increasingly complex ideas.  Essays are textually-based either literary or informational in nature.
• Living Legends: This is the major research and writing project this year. It occurs mainly in the 2nd trimester.  Students choose an inspirational person who achieved greatness in his/her field of study, lived a moral life AND has made a  lasting, positive impact on society. The legend must adhere to guidelines set forth and approved by me. There is a live component of LL that involves dressing in character and delivering a speech. Students and parents love this project!

Social Studies
​​​​​​​Like ELA/Lit, Social Studies focuses on reading and writing.  We write topical paragraphs and essays based on the informational texts read in class focusing on strong sentences, paragraphs and content. We also build our vocabulary skills pertinent to the ancient civilizations that we study.  Using a combination of textual and online resources to bring ancient history to life, this curriculum also works to prepare students for the NYState Exam in March.

Sixth grade SS mainly focuses on the ancient civilizations beginning with pre-history, Mesopotamia, China, Greece, Rome, and Egypt.  With each unit we focus on the lasting contributions made by each society, and the impact that these ancient civilizations have had on the development of the USA. 

Math
The Math program in place here at St. Anne’s offers an Advanced Pathway that begins acceleration during the later part of 6th grade. Acceleration continues throughout all of 7th grade. The 7th grade curriculum focuses on the PreAlgebra skills students will need in order to be prepared for a HS level Algebra 1 course in the 8th grade. During 8th grade, students are rigorously prepared for the Catholic High School Entrance exam, as well as the Common Core Algebra I Regents Exam.

Math ADVANCED 1:

• Ratios and Proportional Relationships: Understand Ratio Concepts; Use Ratio Reasoning, Analyze Proportional Relationships
• The Number System: Perform Fraction and Decimal Operations; Understand Rational Numbers; Perform Rational Number Operations
• Expressions and Equations: Write, Interpret, and Use Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities; Generate Equivalent Expressions; Solve Problems Using Linear Equations
• Geometry: Solve Problems Involving Area, Surface Area, and Volume
• Statistics and Probability: Summarize and Describe Distributions; Understand Variability

Spanish
6th grade mainly focuses on enriching their vocabulary and understanding basic Spanish words.

8th Grade

ELA
Eighth-grade English Language Arts begins with a strong focus on grammar, usage, and writing. Students also read, comprehend, and analyze a wide range of classic literature and informational text, learning about text structures and literary devices. Students gain a foundation in argumentative, narrative, and explanatory writing structures, and learn to build thorough commentary to explain evidence and support claims. Students practice speaking and listening skills. Grammar progresses through the various sentence structures. Vocabulary instruction, with an emphasis on Greek and Roman root words, helps students develop a broad inventory of precise words for accuracy in reading and writing. Literature selections include: 

• The Pearl
• “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”
• “The Gift of the Magi”
• The Tempest
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• The Old Man and the Sea

Social Studies
In Grades 7 and 8, students will examine the United States and New York State through a historical lens. The two-year sequence is arranged chronologically beginning with the settlement of North and South America by Native Americans and ending with an examination of the U.S. in the 21st century. Although the courses emphasize the skill of chronological reasoning and causation, the courses also integrate the skills and content from geography, politics, economy, and culture into the study of history.   

Spanish
7th and 8th grade Spanish focuses on forming sentences, pronunciations, grammar, and more. The goal for both of these grades is for them to reading confidently in Spanish and be able to translate using context clues and their basic knowledge of the subject. 

Math - COMMON CORE ALGEBRA 1

The Common Core Learning Standards:

“The Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) define progressions of learning that develop the major content of school mathematics over grades Pre-K through 12. When those standards are further connected to each other within a grade and throughout a sequence of lessons, a coherent story emerges of mathematics as an elegant subject in which the collective body of knowledge results from reasoning from a cohesive set of principles.”

(source https://www.engageny.org/resource/grades-9-12-mathematics-curriculum-map)

Science
Students will study Earth Science. The course covers:

• Maps as Models of the Earth
• Minerals of the Earth’s Crust
• Rocks
• The Rock and Fossil Record
• Plate Tectonics
• Earthquakes and Volcanoes
• Weathering and Soil Formation
• The Flow of Fresh Water
• Agents of Erosion and Deposition
• The movement of Ocean Water
• Understanding Weather
• Climate and Astronomy

The course of study aligns with the New York State Next Gen Standards. The 8th grade also takes the NYS Intermediate Science Test. The 7th and 8th grade have an 80 minute lab class every week. The 7th and 8th grade present science projects to the school. They work on the project independently for 16 weeks. The final presentation is their findings and includes a written report about their process.