All About 6th Grade

In 6th grade, students are being prepared for Junior High. Mrs. Underhill is the current 6th grade teacher. She has been a certified fitness instructor for over 16 years and brings the bootcamp mentality into class, in a good way! She loves playing music in her classroom and switching things up too keep her class engaged.

What does the 6th grade schedule look like?

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Religion 8:25 – 8:55	Religion 8:25 – 8:55	Chapel 8:25 – 8:55	Religion 8:25 – 8:55	Religion 8:25 – 8:55
English Language Arts 9:00 – 10:30	English Language Arts 9:00 – 10:30	English Language Arts 9:00 – 10:30	English Language Arts 9:00 – 10:30	English Language Arts 9:00 – 10:30
Science 10:30 – 11:15	Science 10:30 – 11:15	Science 10:30 – 11:15	Science 10:30 – 11:15	Science 10:30 – 11:15
Math 11:15 – 12:00	Math 11:15 – 12:00	Math 11:15 – 12:00	Math 11:15 – 12:00	Math 11:15 – 12:00
Lunch & Recess 12:00 – 12:40	Lunch & Recess 12:00 – 12:40	Lunch & Recess 12:00 – 12:40	Lunch & Recess 12:00 – 12:40	Lunch & Recess 12:00 – 12:40
Music 12:45 – 1:25	German 12:45 – 1:25	Music 12:45 – 1:25	German 12:45 – 1:25	P.E. 12:45 – 1:25
Social Studies 1:30 – 2:10	Social Studies 1:30 – 2:10	Art 1:30 – 2:10	Social Studies 1:30 – 2:10	Social Studies 1:30 – 2:10
P.E. 2:15 – 2:55	Technology 2:15 – 2:55	Early Dismissal 2:15	P.E. 2:15 – 2:55	Library 2:15 – 2:55

In religion, 6th grade students study Old Testament stories that go hand-in-hand with their social studies units on ancient civilizations (the origins of Judaism). They cover the book of Daniel, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, the story of Joseph, and the Prophets.  This is due to a focus on the New Testament in Junior High.  They have a weekly Bible memory verse.  Social Emotional Learning is also tied into religion time with concepts of emotions, integrity, honesty, leadership, etc. During this time they have journal writing and group discussions on these topics.  

In English Language Arts, they have the following components:

• Vocabulary from Greek and Latin roots.

• Grammar for writing.

• Writing: literary analysis, comparison-contrast essay, short story (Greek Myth), personal narrative, persuasive essay, mini-research, and a research paper.

• Creative writing

• A poetry unit each trimester: memorizing, analyzing, and writing.

There are 4 literature units – US: Short Stories from Young Latinos, Giver, Crossover, and A Wrinkle in Time

In science, they use books on cells and heredity (biology), sound and light (physics), and earth’s surface & earth’s structure (geology).  On “cake day” (pictured above) students get to create models of an animal cell using cake or other materials they prefer.

6th grade students get assigned a 1st grade chapel buddy. Chapel buddies will do fun activities together periodically throughout the school year and sit together in chapel on days when a Grace class is leading the service.

Mrs. Underhill likes to take her class on a daily walk around the block whenever the weather allows.

6th grade students will each get their own laptop. Grace still emphasizes the importance of pen to paper, but we also recognize the value in technology. 6th grade will practice typing, learn about Google Suite Products, and then Block-Chain coding.

Art is a big part of Grace. 6th grade students get an art class each week. They are also able to participate in the Grace Art Show and the Fine Arts Festival.

Every other school year, 5th and 6th grade get to put on a theatrical performance. This 22-23 school year, they performed A Thousand Cranes.

6th graders will have a weekly music class and choir class. There are several choir opportunities throughout the school year including singing at a Chicago Wolves game! They can also opt in to Orchestra and Band.

Students can join several extracurricular activities, such as art club, newsletter club, cross country, volleyball, basketball, and track & field.

If you would like more information about 6th grade and/or would like to begin the admissions process, please send an email to agarcia@graceriverforest.org to be connected with our Director of Enrollment and Marketing.