Teacher:
Mr. John Blumenshine
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Your Content Goes Here6th grade is an exciting year of growth and changes! Students will take on even more responsibility for their academics and behavior. They will be participating in the Habits of Mind program to develop skills that will help them be successful now and in their futures.
Religion:
Texts: We Believe by Sadler, Family Life by Bensiger
We will be studying the topic of “We are God’s People” through discussion, activities, music, and our texts. We will continue to grow as healthy Catholics by participating in weekly Mass and performing at least 15 hours of community service.
Literature:
Texts: Quest by Houghton Mifflin
We will be studying literature through the six themes of Quest which are “Survival”, “In Search of the Real Me”, “Unwrapping Ancient Mysteries”, “Imagination at Work”, “Finding Common Ground”, and “Ocean Quest”. We will also study classroom novels such as Wonder, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, Bird, Night Divided and When You Reach Me.
Vocabulary:
Text: Wordly Wise 3000 by Kenneth Hodkinson & Sandra Adams
In addition to using words that connect with our stories, we will use the Wordly Wise 3000 workbook to increase our vocabularies. The students will work on each lesson individually and be tested weekly.
6th Grade English:
Text: Voyages in English by Loyola Press, Daily Oral Language by Evan-Moor
The students will study grammar, 6-Traits of Writing, and different types of writing throughout the year. They will begin many pieces in the idea phase, choose one to develop, and participate in peer editing to arrive at their final product.
7th and 8th Grade English:
The goal of the 7th and 8th grade English curriculum is to develop effective writing, reading, research, and communication skills within an integrated curriculum that fosters the growth of grammar, composition, spelling, vocabulary, research, and critical reading skills in preparation for high school, college, and life. Students partake in an intensive study of English language grammar, usage, and mechanics that encompasses the study of 8 parts of speech – including sentence diagramming; punctuation; essential elements of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences; and phrases and clauses. Voyages in English, Loyola University Press, is the English grammar textbook. Written composition skills include paragraph development with the use of effective introductions, conclusions, transitions, and thesis statements in the writing of formal compositions. The following forms of formal compositions are completed: comparison/contrast, persuasive, process, classification, explanatory, descriptive, characterization, as well as various forms of creative writing.
Research skills are developed through the completion of M.L.A. style research papers that include works cited lists and in-text citations. Reading comprehension instruction focuses on the development of expository and critical reading skills as well as the appreciation of literature and literary elements through a series of poetry, short stories, and novel studies.
Science:
Texts: Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science by Prentice Hall
We will include the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and go beyond them. Students will learn scientific concepts and inquiry skills through labs, activities, discussions, video clips, current event articles, and texts. We will use current events discussions so students are active in analyzing facts and ideas. We will use two-column notes style and a Daily Learning Log (DLL) to organize our material. We will use technology such as google classroom and Quizlet to enhance our study. The skills and concepts they will acquire in middle school will help them be successful science students in high school and beyond.
Sixth Grade: Earth Science
Topics include: Earth- Astronomy, Earth’s changing surfaces; Life- Plants to Bacteria; Physical= Sound & Light
Seventh Grade: Life Science
Topics include: Physical- Chemical Building Blocks; Life- Cells & Heredity, Animals, Anatomy; Earth- Inside Earth
Eighth Grade: Physical Science
Topics include: Physical- Chemical Interactions, Motion & Force & Energy; Earth- Environmental Science; Earth’s Waters