Mickelson Middle School 6th Grade Curriculum
Subject
English/Language Arts	Sample various genres for literary elements.  Create, write, and edit various styles of writing.  Grammatically focus on parts of speech usage.
Math	Whole Numbers, Decimals and Fractions, Plane Geometry, Graphs and collecting data, Metric System, Problem Solving, Percents, Equations, Order of Operations
Science	Follows guidelines set by the South Dakota Science Standards.  There are units in Life Science, Physical science, and Earth Science.  Science process skills and ways that technology affects what scientists know and what they can do are incorporated in the curriculum.  Units taught are:  Nature of Science, Water quality, Ecology, Water Cycle, Classification of Loving Things, Cells, Metric System, Atomic Structure, Matter and its Properties, Force and Motion, and the Solar System.
Social Studies	Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Indus Valley civilization (ancient India), Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Civilizations of Mesoamerica (Aztecs, Incas, Mayas)
Reading	Focuses on improved comprehension and vocabulary, study skills and student appropriate literature, reference resources and types of reading materials.
Wellness	Health Units: Self-confidence/Communication, Peer/Family Relationships, Emotions/Tobacco, Alcohol Ed., Other drugs/Goal setting Gym Units: Soccer, Fitness Info. Fitness Training, Basketball, Floor Hickey, Volleyball/Wrestling, Racquet Sports, Fitness Games/Outdoor games, Track, Frisbee golf, Bike
Visual Arts	Art folder, Color wheel, Color scheme project, Egyptian projects/Greek projects, Clay/Maria Martinez, Lettering, 2 pt. Perspective/Frank L. Wright, Watercolor, Figure drawing, Artists of the Week
General Music	Study of basic theory, Instruments of the Orchestra, Making homemade instruments and composing a song for it. The Music Man/musical; Listening Journals to experience music of various genres and culture. Learn to play basic chords on the Autoharp.
Special Education	The curriculum for students taking classes in a special education setting is derived primarily from individual student IEP goals and objectives. The state content standards, which the Brookings School District has adopted as basis for its curriculum, are used as a guide for special education classes. Students with special education needs are served in regular education classroom, resource or separate classroom setting or a combination of settings. Placements are determined on an individual basis.
Guidance	Friendship Skills, Conflict Resolution, Career Exploration
Band	The students in band work on general tone production, technique, rhythms, scales, range, theory, posture, expression and etiquette.
Orchestra	String orchestra is offered to study classical music history, and string performance.  Students are instructed to develop good pitch sense, bowing techniques and a variety of scales and etudes.  Performances include major concerts and festival participation.
Choir	Introduction to: Vocal/Sound production, Singing in a different language or style, Theory, Elements of music - melody, harmony, rhythm, tone, color, and form.
Keyboarding/Computer	The student will:  Review basic keyboarding skills, focusing on correct finger placement, accuracy, speed and posture.  Create a personal/friendly letter using block format with mixed punctuation.  Use file management skills to save files correctly.  Reinforce computer skills in all areas.  Review the standard and formatting tool bars.  Exposure to basic report layout.

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