Grade 6 Integrated Curriculum

Thayer Academy takes an interdisciplinary approach to tackling its Grade 6 theme of “Nature and Civilization.” 

That interconnection starts in homeroom, which is more of a homebase for sixth graders. Their homeroom teacher also serves as their advisor, their English teacher, and their Social Studies teacher. This allows for a seamless interdisciplinary curriculum in the humanities, as students study Ancient Greek History in Social Studies classes and then read Greek mythology in their English classes. Geography lessons teach students to map the world. 

The interdisciplinary experience continues in the arts, as all sixth graders perform plays based upon Greek myths. A longstanding tradition, the students apply their knowledge of Greek mythology to design their masks, items which often become personal mementos of their Middle School experiences. After weeks of cold readings and rehearsal, students perform before parents in Thompson Hall in mid-November. 

All sixth graders take Introduction to World Languages, a course which offers a half-year of Latin followed by two mini-courses of Spanish and French. The sampling gives students a better idea of which language they will choose in Grade 7. 

The sixth-grade science curriculum focuses on oceanography and marine ecosystems, diving into three distinct but coordinated units on sea turtles, coral reef systems, and whales. The math curriculum teaches the foundations of mathematics: the basic operations and properties of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and the connections among percentages, fractions, and decimals. 

Introduction to the Collaborative Design Lab (CDL) is offered to sixth graders, even as the CDL is integrated into the Grade 6 curriculum. 

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