The following is a summary of the AOK (Area of Knowledge) classes for 6th grade.  Students take each class for one quarter at some point during the year.  Students may attend this class for a full block on each BDF day during the quarter or may attend for part of the period if enrolled in a performing music group or a support class.   

Mapmaker

Description: This course encompasses the geography component of the sixth grade social studies curriculum.  Students explore the 8 geographical regions of Eastern Hemisphere. They begin by learning the location of the countries in each region and become  familiar with features of that place (climate, population, vegetation, etc). Then, students select one country from each region as a focus and identify  features of the 5 themes of geography for that country. Students work independently at their own pace using a variety of on-line resources including the CIA Factbook database; sheppardsoftware geography quizzes, and the Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook atlas.  

Connections with the NYS Social Studies Framework:  

Geographic Reasoning

1. Use location terms and geographic representations such as maps, photographs, satellite images, and models to describe where places in the Eastern Hemisphere are in relation to each other, to describe connections between places, and to evaluate the benefits of particular places for purposeful activities.

2. Distinguish human activities and human-made features from "environments" (natural events or physical features—land, air, and water—that are not directly made by humans) in the Eastern Hemisphere; identify the relationship between human activities and the environment.

3. Identify and describe how environments affect human activities and how human activities affect physical environments through the study of cases in the Eastern Hemisphere.

4. NA

5. Describe how human activities alter places and regions in the Eastern Hemisphere.

6. Describe the spatial organization of place, considering the historical, social, political, and economic implication of that organization. Recognize that boundaries and definitions of location are historically constructed.

STEM

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM class is project-based and emphasizes the application of knowledge to real-life situations. Students learn the constraints of a design problem, evaluate competing designs, analyze data, and develop models to optimize their designs. This course is designed with respect to the Common Core Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Some of the science and engineering practices that will be taught are:

• Asking questions and defining problems
• Developing and using models
• Analyzing and interpreting data
• Engaging in argument from evidence
• Plan and carry out investigations
• Use math computational thinking
• Construct explanations and design solutions
• Engage in argument from evidence

Journalism

Description: This course introduces students to the fundamentals of journalism. We begin by learning what journalism is and exploring the various formats in which news is found. Students will learn basic interviewing skills, from initial interest questions to deeper follow-up questions. Students will also study different types of articles (e.g., interviews, surveys, trends, reviews) and learn to cover the 5Ws and 1H: who, what, where, when, why, and how. As a class, students will collaborate to hold a press conference with a local journalist about his/her job, writing a press release as a follow up. Students will then research an article topic that is interesting to them, write their own interview questions, interview the necessary people in order to “get the story”, and then, using a school newspaper format, write and format their own articles.

Common Core Connections: Journalism meets several Common Core benchmarks, including the following:

Range of Writing:

10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline- specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Production and Distribution of Writing:

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.” 5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Sparking Courageous Conversations

Description: This course aims to center discussions about race and racism. Digital texts, picture books, articles, essays and other types of texts will be used to spark conversations that help students recognize individual, interpersonal, and institutional racism.  Essential to these courageous conversations is the racial literacy skills students will acquire that help them to recognize, name, and challenge various forms of everyday racism.

Common Core Connections: In compliance with Common Core Literacy Standards, this course provides students with frequent opportunities to analyze texts from diverse cultures and time periods, and contribute accurate, relevant information during discussions about race and racism. As a result, students will build a foundation of knowledge and utilize the vocabulary and tools demonstrated in the AOK class to speak about issues of race and racism  in developmentally appropriate ways.

Goals: Students will:

• Understand that racism exists in many different arenas and capacities
• Understand that biases are often not obvious or immediately present on the surface
• Learn key racial literacy vocabulary such as: race; ethnicity; racism; racial justice; antiracism; allies; assumptions; colorblindness; discrimination; equity;  identity; individual, interpersonal, and institutional racism; marginalized; microaggressions; narrative; counternarrative; oppression; prejudice; privilege; supremacy; systems; social, economic, and political conditions; stereotype
• Learn conversational strategies to discuss racism
• Learn tools to challenge topics
• Learn strategies to deconstruct canned, racial narratives and acquire counternarratives that provide perspectives that have been silenced

Organizational Skills

This course is designed to improve the ways in which students organize their priorities, time, and materials both in school and at home. Students will receive support in this class this by learning strategies that focus on the following: 

1. Keeping school supplies, lockers and backpacks organized.
2. Setting weekly, monthly and quarterly goals.
3. Working on methods to improve time management skills.
4. Learning how to prioritize assignments.
5. Developing a schedule to keep track of assignments and long term projects.