Curriculum: What We Are Learning in Term One

 

                 

Ontario Ministry Curriculum (Grade 6)

LANGUAGE (Term 1):                                                                                                     

In Term One, we will be focusing on continuing to develop effective reading strategies to help us understand more complex text (i.e., making predictions, visualizing, making connections, asking questions, and inferring).  We will also be learning how to identify the main idea and summarize fiction and non-fiction texts in order to write summaries, research reports, and biographies.  In writing, we will also be reviewing parts of speech and writing conventions (i.e., punctuation, spelling) and applying these to our writing using the writing process. In media literacy, students will be studying different media forms and techniques used to persuade audiences and will be creating their own media texts across the different subject areas.  For Oral Communication, students will be focusing on listening to and responding appropriately to oral texts and each others' contributions to small group and whole class discussions.

By the end of Grade 6, students will: 

  • listen in order to understand and respond appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes (Oral Communication)

  • read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning (Reading)

  • identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand increasingly complex texts (Reading)

  • generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience (Writing)

  • use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively (Writing)

  • demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media (Media Literacy)

  • create a variety of media texts for different purposes and audiences, using appropriate forms, conventions, and techniques (Media Literacy)

 

MATHEMATICS (Term 1):

We will be exploring all five mathematical strands this term and will be integrating the number sense strand with the other four math strands as well as the mathematical processes (i.e., Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proving, Reflecting, Selecting Tools and Computational Strategies, Connecting, Representing, and Communicating).  

By the end of Grade 6, students will: 

  • read, represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 1 000 000 and decimal numbers to the thousandths (Number Sense and Numeration)

  • solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of whole numbers and decimal numbers to the thousandths, using a variety of strategies (Number Sense and Numeration)
  • estimate, measure, and record quantities using the metric measurement system and solve problems involving conversion of metric units and perimeter (Measurement)
  • classify and construct polygons and angles (Geometry and Spatial Sense)
  • describe and represent relationships in growing and shrinking patterns (where the terms are whole numbers) (Patterning and Algebra)
  • collect and organize discrete or continuous primary data and secondary data and display the data using charts and graphs, including continuous line graphs (Data Management)

  • read, describe, and interpret data, and explain relationships between sets of data (Data Management)

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (Term 1):

The two units that we will be studying in Science & Technology this term are Biodiversity (Understanding Life Systems) and Space (Understanding Earth and Space Systems).  Students will be exploring these units using the STEM approach which integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics using the scientific inquiry model.

By the end of Grade 6, students will: 

Biodiversity (Understanding Life Systems)

  • assess human impacts on biodiversity, and identify ways of preserving biodiversity;

  • investigate the characteristics of living things, and classify diverse organisms according to specific characteristics;

  • demonstrate an understanding of biodiversity, its contributions to the stability of natural systems, and its benefits to humans.

Space (Understanding Earth and Space Systems)

  • assess the impact of space exploration on society and the environment;

  • investigate characteristics of the systems of which the earth is a part and the relationship between the earth, the sun, and the moon;

  • demonstrate an understanding of components of the systems of which the earth is a part, and explain the phenomena that result from the movement of different bodies in space.

 

SOCIAL STUDIES (Term 1):

In Term 1, students will be learning about different communities in Canada in our past and present and how they have contributed to our Canadian society and identity.  We will be exploring the Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present (Strand A) through and inquiry approach.  Social Studies will be integrated with our Language program, as students continue to develop their research, organization, and presentation skills as they investigate a community that has contributed to Canadian society and identity.  

By the end of Grade 6, students will: 

Strand A: Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, Past and Present

  • A1. Application: assess contributions to Canadian identity made by various groups and by various features of Canadian communities and regions (FOCUS ON: Cause and Consequence; Patterns and Trends)
  • A2. Inquiry: use the social studies inquiry process to investigate different perspectives on the historical and/or contemporary experience of two or more distinct communities in Canada (FOCUS ON: Perspective)
  • A3. Understanding Context: demonstrate an understanding of signi cant experiences of, and major changes and aspects of life in, various historical and contemporary communities in Canada (FOCUS ON: Significance; Continuity and Change)