Year at a glance
Ten monthly themes, 36 weeks. Tap a month for its goals, or a week for its skills and plans.
September: Welcome / My World and Maps
Sixth grade opens with a wide view of the world and a close view of matter. Students set up reading routines, hunt for themes, learn Greek and Latin roots, and use ratios to compare quantities while they read world maps and model the tiny particles that make up everything.
Reading & writing
Build reading routines, state themes with evidence, and learn Greek and Latin roots and academic words.
RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.9, L.6.4b, L.6.6, W.6.2
Math
Understand ratios and unit rates using ratio language, tables, double number lines and graphs.
6.RP.1, 6.RP.2, 6.RP.3a, 6.RP.3b
Science
Model matter as tiny particles that are always moving, and explain what happens during phase changes.
MS-PS1-1, MS-PS1-4
Social studies
Use globes, map tools, latitude and longitude, and thematic maps to describe places and world regions.
D2.Geo.1.6-8, D2.Geo.2.6-8, D2.Geo.3.6-8, D2.Geo.8.6-8
- Week1Welcome to the Map RoomRoots geo, graph, logy · Ratio language · 5 day plans
- Week2Theme HuntersRoots port, tract, ject · Equivalent ratios and ratio tables · 5 day plans
- Week3Words That WorkAcademic vocabulary · Unit rates · 5 day plans
- Week4Map It, Measure ItSuffixes -ist and -ian · Ratio review with double number lines and graphs · 5 day plans
October: Fall / Earth's Changing Surface
October is about change: the slow and sudden ways Earth's surface moves, breaks and wears down, and the first great river civilizations. Students read informational texts closely, notice how they are built, and use percents and ratio reasoning to make sense of real numbers.
Reading & writing
Analyze text structure in informational texts, find central ideas, write objective summaries, and learn roots about earth and time.
RI.6.2, RI.6.3, RI.6.5, RI.6.9, L.6.4b, W.6.2
Math
Use percents and ratio reasoning to solve problems and convert measurement units.
6.RP.3a, 6.RP.3c, 6.RP.3d
Science
Explain how plate motion, weathering, erosion and deposition change Earth's surface, and model the rock cycle.
MS-ESS2-1, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-3
Social studies
Explore the river civilizations of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt and the sources historians use to study them.
D2.His.1.6-8, D2.His.3.6-8, D2.His.9.6-8, D2.Geo.4.6-8
- Week5Puzzle Pieces of EarthRoots terra and rupt · Percent as a rate per 100 · 5 day plans
- Week6Shake, Rattle and WriteRoots chron and tempor · Percent of a number · 5 day plans
- Week7Wearing Down, Building UpSuffixes -tion, -sion, -ment · Converting units with ratios · 5 day plans
- Week8Rock StoriesRoots lith, morph, sed · Ratio and percent review · 5 day plans
November: Family and Gratitude / Ecosystems
November connects living things to each other and people to their traditions. Students follow energy through food webs, read and write arguments, divide fractions and decimals, and visit three more early civilizations before comparing harvest celebrations around the world.
Reading & writing
Summarize literature and nonfiction objectively, trace arguments, and write a clear argument with a claim, reasons and evidence.
RL.6.2, RI.6.8, RI.6.9, W.6.1, L.6.4b
Math
Divide fractions by fractions, compute fluently with multi-digit numbers and decimals, find GCF and LCM, and meet negative numbers.
6.NS.1, 6.NS.2, 6.NS.3, 6.NS.4, 6.NS.5
Science
Model how energy and matter move through ecosystems and how living things interact and respond to change.
MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-2, MS-LS2-3, MS-LS2-4
Social studies
Explore the Indus Valley, ancient China and the Maya, and compare harvest and gratitude traditions.
D2.His.1.6-8, D2.His.10.6-8, D2.His.14.6-8, D2.Geo.6.6-8, D2.Geo.7.6-8
December: Winter Holidays / Forces and Motion
December is about motion and stories. Students study how authors craft a narrative and write their own, test pushes and pulls with carts and ramps, turn words into algebraic expressions, and compare the many ways people celebrate light, family and the longest nights of the year.
Reading & writing
Analyze author's craft (word choice, figurative language, point of view, structure) and write a polished narrative.
RL.6.4, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, RL.6.9, W.6.3, L.6.5a
Math
Use exponents and order of operations, write and evaluate expressions, find equivalent expressions, and solve one-step equations.
6.EE.1, 6.EE.2, 6.EE.3, 6.EE.4, 6.EE.5, 6.EE.7
Science
Investigate how balanced and unbalanced forces and mass change an object's motion, and design a solution to a collision problem.
MS-PS2-1, MS-PS2-2, MS-ETS1-1
Social studies
Compare winter holiday traditions across cultures and explain how traditions spread and change over time.
D2.Geo.5.6-8, D2.Geo.6.6-8, D2.Geo.7.6-8, D2.His.2.6-8
January: New Year / Cells and Body Systems
January is a fresh start that looks at the building blocks of life and of communities. Students zoom in on cells and body systems, learn how governments are organized and what citizens do, cite strong evidence in their reading, and solve equations and inequalities.
Reading & writing
Cite strong text evidence, read science and civics texts closely, and write a well-organized informative essay.
RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.7, RI.6.8, W.6.2, L.6.4b
Math
Write and solve one-step equations and inequalities and describe how two variables change together.
6.EE.5, 6.EE.6, 6.EE.7, 6.EE.8, 6.EE.9
Science
Explain that living things are made of cells, what cell parts do, and how body systems work together.
MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-2, MS-LS1-3, MS-LS1-8
Social studies
Explain why governments exist, where democracy began, how U.S. government is organized, and what citizens do.
D2.Civ.2.6-8, D2.Civ.3.6-8, D2.Civ.4.6-8, D2.Civ.10.6-8
- Week15Fresh Start, Tiny CellsRoots micro, scope, cyte · One-step addition and subtraction equations · 5 day plans
- Week16Cell Parts, City PartsRoots demo, cracy, auto · One-step multiplication and division equations · 5 day plans
- Week17The Body TeamRoots cardi, derm, neur · Inequalities · 5 day plans
- Week18Citizens in ActionRoots civ, poli, jur · Dependent and independent variables · 5 day plans
February: Friendship / Weather and Climate
February looks at the forces that shape our weather and the people who changed history by working together. Students ask research questions, take notes from credible sources, collect and display real data, and learn how the sun, air and water make weather and climate.
Reading & writing
Ask research questions, gather information from credible print and digital sources, paraphrase, and write a short research report.
W.6.7, W.6.8, RI.6.1, RI.6.7, SL.6.4, L.6.4b
Math
Recognize statistical questions and summarize data with dot plots, histograms, box plots and measures of center and variability.
6.SP.1, 6.SP.2, 6.SP.3, 6.SP.4, 6.SP.5
Science
Explain the water cycle, air masses and fronts, and how uneven heating and ocean currents shape weather and climate.
MS-ESS2-4, MS-ESS2-5, MS-ESS2-6
Social studies
Research historical figures who worked together to bring change.
D2.His.3.6-8, D2.His.4.6-8, D2.His.16.6-8
- Week19Questions in the CloudsRoots hydr and aqua · Statistical questions · 5 day plans
- Week20Fronts and PlotsRoots therm, meter, baro · Dot plots and histograms · 5 day plans
- Week21Currents and CentersSuffixes -ous, -ive, -al · Mean, median, mode and range · 5 day plans
- Week22Climate DetectivesRoots atmo, sphere, sol · Box plots and variability · 5 day plans
March: Spring / Matter Cycles and Resources
March follows matter as it cycles through air, soil and living things, and follows spring as people celebrate it across world regions. Students build vocabulary, vary their sentences, read poetry closely, and find the area and volume of real shapes.
Reading & writing
Build vocabulary with context clues and word parts, vary sentences, use connotation, and analyze poems.
L.6.1, L.6.2a, L.6.3a, L.6.4a, L.6.5c, RL.6.4, RL.6.5
Math
Find the area of triangles, quadrilaterals and polygons, the volume of prisms with fractional edges, and draw polygons on the coordinate plane.
6.G.1, 6.G.2, 6.G.3
Science
Model how matter cycles through living things and Earth, recognize chemical reactions, and explain why natural resources are unevenly distributed.
MS-LS2-3, MS-PS1-2, MS-ESS3-1
Social studies
Compare world regions and spring holidays such as Nowruz, Holi, Passover, Easter and Qingming.
D2.Geo.5.6-8, D2.Geo.6.6-8, D2.Geo.10.6-8
- Week23Triangles and the Carbon CyclePrefixes tri, quad, penta, poly · Area of triangles and parallelograms · 5 day plans
- Week24Polygons and ResourcesContext clues and resource words · Polygons on the coordinate plane · 5 day plans
- Week25Volume and Chemical ChangePrefixes trans, inter, sub · Volume with fractional edges · 5 day plans
- Week26Spring Around the WorldRoot review and commas for extra information · Geometry review · 5 day plans
April: Earth and Environment / Human Impact
April asks how people change the planet and how they decide what to make, buy and trade. Students take strong notes, write researched arguments, use nets to find surface area, and study Earth Day, scarcity, supply and demand, and trade.
Reading & writing
Take organized notes from informational texts and use them to write and present a researched argument with credible evidence.
RI.6.2, RI.6.8, W.6.1, W.6.7, W.6.8, SL.6.4, L.6.4b
Math
Represent three-dimensional figures with nets and find surface area and volume to solve real problems.
6.G.2, 6.G.4
Science
Explain how human activities affect Earth's systems and design ways to reduce harmful impacts.
MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4, MS-ETS1-1
Social studies
Explore Earth Day, scarcity and choices, supply and demand, and how resources and trade connect the world.
D2.Eco.1.6-8, D2.Eco.3.6-8, D2.Eco.15.6-8, D2.Geo.11.6-8
- Week27Nets and NotesRoots eco and nomy · Nets and surface area of prisms · 5 day plans
- Week28Earth Day WeekPrefixes re-, de-, pre- · Surface area with triangles · 5 day plans
- Week29Fill It UpRoots struct and duct · Volume and surface area problems · 5 day plans
- Week30Make the Case for EarthApril root review · Surface area and volume review · 5 day plans
May: Oceans / Inventors and Technology
May heads to the ocean and the workshop. Students study waves, light and sound, build and improve their own inventions, read about real inventors, write narratives, preview probability, and review the year's math.
Reading & writing
Read aloud fluently with expression, analyze how authors develop real people in biographies, and write an engaging narrative.
RL.6.3, RI.6.3, W.6.3, SL.6.6, L.6.4b
Math
Explore chance and probability as a preview of 7th grade, and review ratios, the number system, equations and statistics.
7.SP.5 (preview), 7.SP.6 (preview), 6.RP.3, 6.NS.7, 6.EE.7, 6.SP.5
Science
Describe waves by amplitude and wavelength and how they interact with materials; define, design, test and improve a solution.
MS-PS4-1, MS-PS4-2, MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-4
Social studies
Compare technology then and now and trace how goods, ideas and inventions connect the world.
D2.His.2.6-8, D2.Geo.7.6-8, D2.Geo.11.6-8
- Week31Waves at SeaRoots son, aud, phon · Chance and probability · 5 day plans
- Week32Light, Sound and SignalsRoots photo and tele · Number system review · 5 day plans
- Week33Inventor's WorkshopSuffixes -or, -er, -tion · Probability experiments · 5 day plans
- Week34Ship ItYear root review · Ratio, equation and statistics review · 5 day plans
June: Review and Celebration
June is for looking back and celebrating. Students show what they know through games, book talks and science shares, and they build a year in review that gets them ready for 7th grade.
Reading & writing
Read independently with stamina, give book talks, and reflect on growth as a reader and writer.
RL.6.10, RI.6.10, SL.6.4, W.6.10
Math
Review the big ideas of sixth grade math through games and real problems.
6.RP.3, 6.NS.1, 6.EE.7, 6.G.2, 6.SP.5
Science
Review the year's investigations and share a favorite.
MS-PS1-4, MS-ESS2-2, MS-LS2-3, MS-PS2-2
Social studies
Look back at world regions, ancient civilizations and civics, and make a year in review.
D2.His.2.6-8, D2.Geo.2.6-8