6th Grade
Reading
The goal of the sixth grade reading course is to use quality literature to further develop reading, speaking, and listening skills; facilitate vocabulary acquisition; teach literary elements and techniques; and expose students to a variety of literary genres.
This course is designed so that one novel is studied in-depth each quarter, with each novel being from a different genre and emphasizing various literary techniques. Quizzes are administered throughout each book. The study of each novel concludes with a test over the entire book and/or a culminating project. In addition to the in-depth study of novels in class, several novels are read aloud by the teacher. Students are also responsible for reading one book approximately every six weeks from a specifically assigned genre and submitting a book report or project or giving an oral presentation for evaluation.
The novels currently studied in-depth in the course are as follows: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Mystery), Robinson Crusoe (Survival/Adventure), Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Fantasy), and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Historical Fiction).
Language Arts
The GCA language arts course for sixth grade consists of grammar and composition. The goal of this class is for students to learn and appreciate the orderly structure of language. Students study the eight parts of speech and Standard English conventions. They also diagram sentences. They learn and apply the steps of the writing process. The students use this structure in the development of complete and orderly written thought as well as make application of it in speaking.
There are 12 units in the grammar and composition component of this course. Each unit provides approximately three weeks of instructional material and concludes with a test. The students produce a variety of written work that includes, but is not limited to, descriptive paragraphs, essays, journals, poems, creative writing, reports, and a research paper. This course concludes with a comprehensive grammar final exam.
Mathematics
In sixth grade math students learn and become proficient in the foundational skills of mathematics. The students develop skills in the areas of number sense, computation, algebra and algebraic functions, measurement, geometry, data analysis, probability, and problem solving. The course consists of daily lessons, quizzes, chapter tests, and a comprehensive final exam.
History & Geography
The goal of GCA’s sixth grade social studies course is to present the history of the
Science
The sixth grade science course is designed to develop a greater knowledge and wonder of God and to promote scientific literacy through the knowledge of science and the development of scientific skills and attitudes. Each student acquires factual information on a variety of topics from the various fields of science. Technology is utilized as it relates to the various topics of study. The students develop the scientific skills of observation, higher level questioning, generalizing, and making application across the disciplines. The students learn and apply the scientific method as they design and conduct investigations. They collect, organize, display, analyze, and interpret data. The students also study the lives of famous scientists to identify attitudes that characterize successful scientists. This course includes daily assignments, investigations, and unit tests. It concludes with a comprehensive exam.
NOTE: The first six weeks of this course is devoted to teaching the foundations of science from a Christian perspective. The foundations component of this course defines evolution as faith based thought and non-science. The theories of evolution and creation are compared and examined in-depth. Political, economical, social, and ethical ramifications for embracing each of these theories are discussed.
Bible
During this one-year overview of the Old Testament, students study each book and participate in classroom discussions as well as individual study time and class review days. Each book is reviewed from the perspective of the author to the impact the Scriptures have on our lives today. Students learn memory verses and write chapter summaries and Biblical character studies.
