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Welcome to the Sixth Grade!
Dear 6th Grade Families:
Welcome to an exciting year of learning and growing at CTK. I am excited about working with and getting to know this year's sixth grade. Parents, I understand that you are your child's first and most influential teacher and look forward to working together as a team to insure a successful and enjoyable 6th grade year for your son or daughter. Please feel free to call me at home or contact me by email should any questions or concerns arise. I an anticipate an outstanding year for the 6th grade! Mrs. Shepard
6th Grade Core Curriculum
Social Studies: Our course of study in sixth grade is World History. Through the histories and geographies of the world's major cultures, students will develop a sense of citizenship and responsibility for their place in the complex world community. In this course of study, students will recognize God's hand in shaping the world. Specific units of study include the rise of the great ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, China, and India, the impact of Greek and Roman history on the development of western civilization, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, World War I and World War II. Other special units include creating cuneiform tablets, a mythology newspaper, a group project on Leonardo da Vinci and our holocaust study.
Religion: The Voyages curriculum in sixth grade is Christ-centered so students will have optimal opportunity to grow in their relationship of faith and life with God. We use our Bibles and our text as we study units on the World of God, the sacraments, and the birth, teachings, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Much of our focus is through a study of the book of Matthew. In addition, religion provides students with many opportunities for social, moral and spiritual development as they discuss issues they find relevant in their sixth grade world. Memory work is also a key part of the religion curriculum. Students will also keep a faith journal.
Science: Science is both a field of knowledge and a method of discovering new knowledge. The students will develop the science skills necessary to observe, infer, classify, measure, form a hypothesis, experiment, predict, and interpret data. The subject areas covered this year are: measurement, physical and chemical properties of matter, forces, motion, and classification of living things. The textbook we use is: Science McGraw Hill, 2000
Language Arts/Grammar: Students apply their knowledge of the writing process to a variety of writing assignments. They are expected to compose a poetry portfolio. Emphasis is placed on grammar (parts of speech, compound and complex sentences, subject/verb agreement etc..) through the use of question and answer flow in order to classify parts of speech in sentences. Vocabulary is integrated into daily lessons and applied to enhancing writing skills.
Math: Students cover the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, fractions and decimals. The curriculum also covers sequencing of numbers, prime and composite numbers, exponents and powers, measurement, and an introduction to geometry.
Advanced Math: Students work on computational skills with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. As these skills are mastered, others are presented, including geometry, statistics, graphing, measurement, percents and integers.
Reading: Sixth graders read a variety of short stories, focusing on plot, conflict, character, point of view, setting and theme. Students also ready non-fiction, including history, biography and autobiography, letters, journals, essays, and informational texts with a view to developing comprehension. Using quality literature selections, students study alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification and imagery. Finally, students read and analyze five books throughout the year. Assessment is accomplished through testing, creative writing, oral presentations, character monologues, discussion and book talks.
HOMEWORK:
Sixth grade students are required to use the CTK Assignment Book to record all homework assignments. These will be handed out the first week of school and students will be taught the correct way to use them. Students are expected to write their assignments down in the class in which they are assigned. Additionally, a homeroom assignment board will be completed at the end of the day by the class; this provides a means to review their completed book. However, students should not wait until homeroom to write down their assignments. Please check your child's assignment book on a daily basis and help him/her develop the habit of personal responsibility for the completion of assignments. Most assignments are begun in class; thus, homework should take no longer than an hour or less total to complete. On occasion, homework will take a little longer; however, if homework seems to take an inordinate amount of time, please let me know. Also, it will be most beneficial to designate a consistent time and place for your child to complete his/her homework on a daily basis. Homework assignments reinforce what we learn in school and the timely completion of homework is essential to classroom success.
Welcome to the Sixth Grade!
Dear 6th Grade Families:
Welcome to an exciting year of learning and growing at CTK. I am excited about working with and getting to know this year's sixth grade. Parents, I understand that you are your child's first and most influential teacher and look forward to working together as a team to insure a successful and enjoyable 6th grade year for your son or daughter. Please feel free to call me at home or contact me by email should any questions or concerns arise. I an anticipate an outstanding year for the 6th grade! Mrs. Shepard
6th Grade Core Curriculum
Social Studies: Our course of study in sixth grade is World History. Through the histories and geographies of the world's major cultures, students will develop a sense of citizenship and responsibility for their place in the complex world community. In this course of study, students will recognize God's hand in shaping the world. Specific units of study include the rise of the great ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, China, and India, the impact of Greek and Roman history on the development of western civilization, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, World War I and World War II. Other special units include creating cuneiform tablets, a mythology newspaper, a group project on Leonardo da Vinci and our holocaust study.
Religion: The Voyages curriculum in sixth grade is Christ-centered so students will have optimal opportunity to grow in their relationship of faith and life with God. We use our Bibles and our text as we study units on the World of God, the sacraments, and the birth, teachings, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Much of our focus is through a study of the book of Matthew. In addition, religion provides students with many opportunities for social, moral and spiritual development as they discuss issues they find relevant in their sixth grade world. Memory work is also a key part of the religion curriculum. Students will also keep a faith journal.
Science: Science is both a field of knowledge and a method of discovering new knowledge. The students will develop the science skills necessary to observe, infer, classify, measure, form a hypothesis, experiment, predict, and interpret data. The subject areas covered this year are: measurement, physical and chemical properties of matter, forces, motion, and classification of living things. The textbook we use is: Science McGraw Hill, 2000
Language Arts/Grammar: Students apply their knowledge of the writing process to a variety of writing assignments. They are expected to compose a poetry portfolio. Emphasis is placed on grammar (parts of speech, compound and complex sentences, subject/verb agreement etc..) through the use of question and answer flow in order to classify parts of speech in sentences. Vocabulary is integrated into daily lessons and applied to enhancing writing skills.
Math: Students cover the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, fractions and decimals. The curriculum also covers sequencing of numbers, prime and composite numbers, exponents and powers, measurement, and an introduction to geometry.
Advanced Math: Students work on computational skills with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. As these skills are mastered, others are presented, including geometry, statistics, graphing, measurement, percents and integers.
Reading: Sixth graders read a variety of short stories, focusing on plot, conflict, character, point of view, setting and theme. Students also ready non-fiction, including history, biography and autobiography, letters, journals, essays, and informational texts with a view to developing comprehension. Using quality literature selections, students study alliteration, simile, metaphor, personification and imagery. Finally, students read and analyze five books throughout the year. Assessment is accomplished through testing, creative writing, oral presentations, character monologues, discussion and book talks.
HOMEWORK:
Sixth grade students are required to use the CTK Assignment Book to record all homework assignments. These will be handed out the first week of school and students will be taught the correct way to use them. Students are expected to write their assignments down in the class in which they are assigned. Additionally, a homeroom assignment board will be completed at the end of the day by the class; this provides a means to review their completed book. However, students should not wait until homeroom to write down their assignments. Please check your child's assignment book on a daily basis and help him/her develop the habit of personal responsibility for the completion of assignments. Most assignments are begun in class; thus, homework should take no longer than an hour or less total to complete. On occasion, homework will take a little longer; however, if homework seems to take an inordinate amount of time, please let me know. Also, it will be most beneficial to designate a consistent time and place for your child to complete his/her homework on a daily basis. Homework assignments reinforce what we learn in school and the timely completion of homework is essential to classroom success.
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Deborah Shepard
Christ the King Lutheran School
5296 Park Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38138
(901) 682-8405
The 2008-09 school year marks my 31st year of teaching including 20 at the high school level and ten in middle school. After earning a B.S. in Secondary Education (Social Sciences) from the University of Southeast Missouri, I spent a year as a graduate teaching assistant in the history department before moving to Memphis. I began my official teaching career in l978 at FACS where I spent 20 years teaching a variety of high school social sciences. After completing my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction (Reading) at the University of Memphis, I "retired" from high school and began teaching at the middle school level. Since two of my passions are reading and history, I have the best of both worlds here at CTK where for the past eight years I have had the pleasure of teaching both history and literature classes. My classes at CTK include 6th Grade Homeroom, 6th World History, 6th Religion, 7th and 8th Reading/Literature, 5th Social Science, and 8th American History.
On a more personal note, I grew up in Missouri, Illinois and California but consider Memphis my home. My husband and I have been married for 33 years and are blessed with two children: Brett (26) and Jordan (22).
I love to travel and have visited much of Western Europe over the last few years. I'm a die-hard St. Louis Cardinal and Duke Basketball fan and of course support the Memphis Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels!
Deborah Shepard
Christ the King Lutheran School
5296 Park Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38138
(901) 682-8405
The 2008-09 school year marks my 31st year of teaching including 20 at the high school level and ten in middle school. After earning a B.S. in Secondary Education (Social Sciences) from the University of Southeast Missouri, I spent a year as a graduate teaching assistant in the history department before moving to Memphis. I began my official teaching career in l978 at FACS where I spent 20 years teaching a variety of high school social sciences. After completing my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction (Reading) at the University of Memphis, I "retired" from high school and began teaching at the middle school level. Since two of my passions are reading and history, I have the best of both worlds here at CTK where for the past eight years I have had the pleasure of teaching both history and literature classes. My classes at CTK include 6th Grade Homeroom, 6th World History, 6th Religion, 7th and 8th Reading/Literature, 5th Social Science, and 8th American History.
On a more personal note, I grew up in Missouri, Illinois and California but consider Memphis my home. My husband and I have been married for 33 years and are blessed with two children: Brett (26) and Jordan (22).
I love to travel and have visited much of Western Europe over the last few years. I'm a die-hard St. Louis Cardinal and Duke Basketball fan and of course support the Memphis Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels!
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