Sixth Grade Humanities

Sixth-grade Humanities builds the foundation for students to cultivate strong interpersonal and community-minded connections. Our curriculum actively examines the ideas of “justice” when approaching a piece of text, audio, or visual work by bringing in a historical/contemporary context and using theoretical knowledge to frame discussions. In particular, we aim to use critical literary lenses (eg. race, class, gender) alongside each primary text we read to tackle major themes. Students will be challenged to think deeply about multiple and overlapping perspectives, to ask thoughtful questions of one another, and to reflect through writing about why our learning matters to our own lives and the communities/world around us. 

Our first semester’s themes and topics will center heavily on the ideas of storytelling and community; concurrently, students will work on foundational skills that include, but are not limited to, communication, collaboration, and self-advocacy as relevant to their academic as well as social and emotional development. The second semester’s focus will continue to build on these foundational skills through a more global perspective as well as additional opportunities for research and action within their communities.

 

Pre-Unit Kickoff: Community and Storytelling
Essential Question: What is a community? How do storytelling and listening help to form community?
 
Unit One: Community and Memory
Essential Question: What is the value of passing down stories about different communities throughout generations?
 
Primary text: The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
 
Unit Two: Community and Identity
Essential Question: Why is it important to make space for different identities and cultures in our communities?
 
Primary text: The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
 
Unit Three: Community and Membership
Essential Questions: What may cause individuals or groups to be included in or excluded from a community, and how can we create a sense of belonging?
 
Primary text: Front Desk by Kelly Yang
 
Unit Four: Community and Justice
Essential Question: What kinds of communities based on justice can we imagine and then work to embody?
 
Primary text: On the Air with Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
 
Unit Five: Community and Action
Essential Question: How can we practice imagining the future we want and what would have to happen for this to exist?
 
Primary text: Choice of Speculative Graphic Novels