Sixth Grade

The first year of middle school is focused on helping 6th graders transition from elementary school as they grow physically, socially, and academically.  They are asked to stretch academically and learn the key organizational and study skills necessary to prepare for Seventh Grade.

Core Courses

ENGLISH | The English Language Arts curriculum focuses specifically on building deep literacy skills. Students are taught to lead class discussion grounded in themes. In 6th grade, students read books like Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion and Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. Transferable close reading skills are built into whole class novel instruction in order to benefit students far beyond the English classroom. 

SOCIAL STUDIES | The Social Studies curriculum is inquiry based and teaches students to zoom in and analyze various perspectives from historical periods. Students engage in class discussion, group work, and project based learning to better understand historical periods. In 6th grade, students develop the skills necessary to do historical work. Students study local leadership and understanding challenges like poverty in the community. 

SCIENCE | Our Science curriculum is inquiry based and involves many hands-on activities and discoveries. Sixth grade is all about Earth Science. Scholars learn about the physical and chemical constitution of the Earth and its atmosphere. 

MATH | GO-NYC uses Illustrative Math, a curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving over algorithmic memorization. Sixth grade has a large emphasis on ratios and proportions. Scholars also learn about how to divide fractions, as well as the beginnings of algebra with a unit focused on expressions and equations.