GRADE 6 PROGRAM

Grade 6 is the foundation year of Trafalgar Castle School’s Connected Classroom program. The program is based on an integrated learning approach to the delivery of the curriculum. This integrated approach allows students to see links between different subject areas. The use of Information Technology in the program is “transparent” and allows students to access information and communicate using appropriate tools.

MUSIC

In offering a balance of practical skills, knowledge of elements, as well as creative and critical thinking skills, the music program will enable students to find, in music, a lifelong source of enjoyment and personal satisfaction.

Knowledge of elements and practical skills will emerge from experiences in both vocal and instrumental performance. Creative work will focus on student compositions for a solo instrument and as components of an ensemble. Student analysis of music elements in historic and cross-cultural perspectives and their emotional responses to Baroque, classical and contemporary music will hone their critical thinking skills and personalize their experience of music. Students will work primarily within a co-operative framework as well as in activities facilitating individual expression and development. Information Technology competencies will be utilized as an integral part of each unit of study. Assessment/evaluation, using student/instructor generated criteria, will incorporate a variety of styles including diagnostic, formative and summative evaluation.

VISUAL ARTS

Visual Arts are integrated throughout the Grade 6 program. The main focus is the creation of works of art that communicate a range of ideas, thoughts, feelings and experiences. Students will experiment with the elements (colour, point, line, shape, form, space, texture) and principles (emphasis, balance, rhythm, unity, variety, proportion) of design in creating a variety of projects related to units and topics of study in science, social studies, math and language.

FRENCH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

The aim of this course is to “develop basic communication skills in French, an understanding of the nature of the language and an appreciation of French culture in Canada and other parts of the world” (The Ontario Curriculum, 1998). The three strands, oral communication, reading and writing, are developed in the program Visages 3. Grammar, language conventions and vocabulary are grouped together and applied in all three strands. Topics of discussion include visiting Quebec, describing a person’s appearance, careers, food and summer camp.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The intent of the health and physical education program is to promote healthy living and active participation in a variety of physical activities. This is accomplished through an integrated program conducted both in-school and during the field camp. The field camp component provides students with the unique opportunity to experience sports and recreational activities that encourage self-confidence, initiative and cooperation with others. Some of the activities students will participate in include a ropes course, mountain biking, tennis, hiking, snowshoeing, crosscountry skiing, Quinzee building and dogsledding.

WRITING

The intent of the writing program is to help students develop the skills and aptitudes necessary for effective written communication, the ability to organize and order ideas in a logical manner and to think clearly and creatively. Essential to this task is the mastery of basic skills related to the conventions of writing: grammar, spelling, punctuation and the common conventions of style, form and presentation.

Through the use of modeled writing and meaningful writing activities, students are challenged to think creatively about topics that interest them. Writing portfolios provide a running record of student’s progress and emphasize the process involved in creating written work.

READING

The objective of this program is to help students develop the skills that will enable them to become effective readers. An effective reader is one who not only comprehends what is read, but is able to use and apply these ideas later in new contexts.

A variety of resources including novels, anthologies, poems, newspapers and magazines (printed and online) provide the foundation for the reading program which is organized into four themes: Keeping the Peace, In Search Of..., Arts Alive and Ancient Mysteries.

Reading also takes a variety of forms in the classroom including silent, guided, oral and shared reading. Literature circles are employed for novel studies and provide students with choice and flexibility in their reading.

ORAL AND VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Through a varied and integrated approach, students are provided with the opportunity to develop the oral and visual communication skills necessary to express themselves effectively, to interpret media and to understand and interact with others.

In particular, students will learn to communicate ideas and opinions related to technology media (e.g., film, television and the Internet). By understanding and utilizing these and other media, students will learn to expand their expressive and communicative abilities.

In addition to viewing, analyzing and discussing a variety of media works, students will have the opportunity to use a range of technologies to create media works of various types including: drawings, cartoons, digital presentations and web pages.

This area of the language program will also include the integration of drama and dance. Students will learn to communicate through drama and dance; they will also interpret and evaluate a range of works.

MATHEMATICS

In this program, students learn mathematics through an activitybased approach that emphasizes exploration, communication and reflection upon important mathematical concepts and skills in a variety of contexts. The tools of technology (calculators, computers and the Internet) and manipulatives (concrete objects) help students learn to problem-solve and apply concepts in ways that prepare them for the future.

The course is organized into five strands reflecting the five major areas of mathematical knowledge and skills specified in the Ministry of Education Curriculum. These strands are Number Sense and Numeration, Measurement, Geometry and Spatial Sense, Patterning and Algebra and Data Management and Probability.

Howard Gardiner’s theory of multiple intelligences is utilized whenever possible to provide students with choice and flexibility when learning new concepts and skills. Integration of mathematics into other curriculum areas (e.g., science and technology, language, social science) is employed when appropriate and meaningful.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

An integrated, activity-based approach to the science and technology program makes learning more meaningful, relevant and fun by embedding the study of concepts and skills in a “real world” context. Throughout this course, the tools of technology (computers and the Internet) play an invaluable role in student investigation, communication and application of science concepts and skills.

All units begin by relating science and technology to the student’s experience and the “outside world” from which skills and strategies of inquiry and design are developed. This in turn establishes a foundation upon which to understand and interpret the basic concepts underlying each unit and to apply this understanding to solve real world problems.

The course is organized into five units reflecting the strands specified in the Ministry of Education Science and Technology Curriculum. These strands are Diversity of Living Things, Properties of Air and the Characteristics of Flight, Electricity, Motion and Space. A highlight of the course is participation in the Canadian National Marsville Program: a simulation activity integrating mathematics, science and technology in which students assume team roles in an online scientific and engineering community to design and build working models of various life-support systems that will house them on the Marsville colony. Howard Gardiner’s theory and integration of science and technology into other curriculum areas are employed when appropriate and meaningful.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The Grade 6 social studies program is integrated with the language curriculum outlined earlier. The intent of this program is to help students develop the skills necessary to conduct research, to communicate effectively and to apply concepts in new contexts.

A variety of resources including newspapers, magazines (printed and online), the Internet and field trips provide the foundation for the social studies program which is organized into two integrated units reflecting the two major strands specified in the Ministry of Education Curriculum.

These strands are Aboriginal Peoples and European Explorers and Canada and Its Trading Partners.