Sixth Grade Highlights at Paradise Valley Christian
Study Skills: Students learn techniques to better enable them to make the major transition from self-contained classrooms to the departmentalized world of Middle School. Students have workshops in using study time wisely and using planners and journals more effectively.
Bible: Sixth Grade Bible curriculum is a survey of the Old Testament. Students begin by focusing on the biblical worldview laid out in Genesis 1-3. This will help set an interpretive framework for understanding the rest of the Old Testament. The course is intended to develop student understanding of doctrines, ethics, and morals taught in God’s word. The course is designed to expose young minds to theological and ethical concepts through self-examination, critical thinking, and challenging questions. Students will have a basic understanding of each book of the Old testament, which will allow for deeper understanding in their future as they continue growing in more knowledge of God through His word.
Language Arts: This course will include a variety of activities designed to increase the students’ abilities in reading, writing and speaking. Students will be taught to use appropriate study skills to enhance their reading and learning from text and to improve their test-taking skills. Through exercises in process writing, students will learn writing strategies. Creative and critical thinking will be stressed during reading and writing. There is an emphasis on grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. Students write research papers, read at least three novels and give written and/or oral reports. Course content includes: reading, process writing, journaling, grammar, spelling-encoding and decoding, vocabulary, speaking, and researching.
Mathematics: Students are placed into one of two math programs through math placement testing, recommendation and mastery. Math placement into Saxon 76 provides a view of previous arithmetic courses and forms the basis for more abstract mathematics. Course content includes: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, perimeter, area, volume, number line, prime numbers, factors, word problems, percent, ratios, probability, graphing, and geometry. Math Placement into Saxon 87 enables students to learn the concrete to the abstract, from the particular to the general and from content to concept. They will know that there is a right answer and learn to appreciate absolutes. Course content covers: whole numbers, decimals, fractions, geometry, percents, graphing, number theory, proportions, ratios, simple equations and probability.
Science: This course provides the student with the basic knowledge of general science. The students are introduced to physical, life, and earth science. All studies are taught to show God as the Creator and sustainer of the physical world. Students learn to keep a lab book and record their science labs, they complete a major science fair project involving all aspects of the Scientific Method, students memorize a diagram of the circulatory system and reinforce their knowledge of all major body systems, and travel to the Grand Canyon to see the evidence of the Flood.
History: Sixth Grade history curriculum is a study of the Western Hemisphere Geography. Course content includes: Old World history, civilizations and geography, and references the Bible as the greatest history text and accurate record of Old World events.
Spanish: Spanish for Sixth Grade reinforces previous curriculum and at the same time introduces new skills necessary to acquiring a second language. The goal of this course is to develop fundamental skills required to read and write Spanish properly.
Physical Education: The aim at this level focuses on physical fitness, sports skills, rules, sportsmanship, and understanding concepts of team sports. Students participate in Physical Education twice a week.
Library: The purpose of this course is to equip middle school students to effectively utilize the Library Media center to find resource materials for research, supplemental learning and pleasure reading. The focus of the library is knowledge, teaching and learning.
Art: Sixth Grade art classes meet once a week. A variety of projects are assigned focusing on the elements of design, line, color, shape, texture, pattern and repetition. The students are exposed to many types of media, such as paint, crayon, oil, pastel, watercolor, craft materials, etc. Historical and cultural art is integrated into the studio art lessons encompassing the Renaissance Period.
Computer: This class will give the students an introduction to general technology skills at the elementary level. These skills include but are not limited to competency in the areas of: orientation to the computer, keyboarding, word processing, navigating the internet, and utilizing the computer for learning, presenting, and organizing information.
Students may also take as an elective:
Band Choir Handbells
Mechanical Drawing
Additional Art Classes
Additional Computer Classes
Sports-Girls-Basketball, Softball, Volleyball
Boys-Soccer, Basketball, Baseball
Key Trip: Grand Canyon