MS ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
6th Grade Exploratory Wheel
Social Emotional Learning (One Per Progress)
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is how individuals acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL focuses on developing competencies in five key areas:
1. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize one's emotions, thoughts, and values and understand how they influence behavior.
2. **Self-management**: Effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself to set and achieve goals.
3. **Social awareness**: Understanding and empathizing with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
4. Relationship skills: SEL equips individuals with the tools to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships. It emphasizes communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution, all crucial elements in our personal and professional lives.
5. **Responsible decision-making**: Making ethical, constructive choices about personal and social behavior.
SEL promotes mental health, well-being, and academic success by helping individuals navigate the complexities of their personal and social lives, leading to a brighter and more fulfilling future.
ART MASTERY (One per Progress)
This section incorporates art activities that use a variety of media to help students explore basic art concepts. The primary emphasis is on color theory, craftsmanship, and understanding and recognizing what makes a stable composition. Students will participate in class discussions, develop creative problem-solving skills, and connect key concepts between the visual arts and other subject areas.
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (One per Progress)
Students will develop their problem-solving, designing, and model-building skills in an exploratory course focused on the Design Cycle. The students will deepen their understanding of using a design cycle by engaging in a long-term project spanning the six-week block. They will engage with a problem multiple times through an iterative hands-on process, finding ways to better solve the problem in their design brief, culminating in a final prototype they test against the requirements. Multiple chances for reflection throughout the block lead students toward a self-monitoring and self-managing perspective.
DRAMA EXPLORATION (One Per Progress)
In the Drama Wheel, students create and perform a collaborative skit (group performance). Throughout the 6-week course, students work to develop some basic drama skills and knowledge pertaining to vocal and physical expression. Emphasis is placed on creation, fun, and exploration.
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP (DQ) (One per Progress)
Children are growing up with the power of digital media and technology to explore, connect, create, and learn in new ways. With this power, young people have great opportunities, but they also face challenges and dilemmas. Schools are dealing with the ramifications, including issues such as online safety, cyberbullying, privacy, hate speech, misinformation, and digital distraction. To address these issues, schools are creating a positive culture around media and technology by incorporating digital citizenship education as part of their curricula. Digital citizenship is the responsible use of technology to learn, create, and participate. Common Sense’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum addresses critical issues facing children in a fast-changing world of media and technology. The innovative lessons teach students to think critically and develop the habits of mind to navigate digital dilemmas in their everyday lives. It was created in collaboration with Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, guided by research with thousands of educators and parents.
2050 (One Per Progress)
Our education system must adapt to the new technologies and ideas shaping our future in an ever-changing world. By exposing our students to the big ideas and converging technologies of the future, we can expose them to the latest advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and computing. This exposure will help our students develop an understanding of the future and inspire them to make informed decisions that will shape their lives and the world they live in. Furthermore, they will learn to think critically and creatively and to solve complex problems with innovative solutions. We are investing in the future by transforming our students' learning experiences. This class is designed to be the beginning of a learning journey that will lead students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the year 2050 and beyond.