Sixth-grade students in Indiana are expected to be able to decode unfamiliar vocabulary words from their context or their roots and to understand similes and metaphors.
The reading comprehension standards for nonfiction and technical works focus on drawing logical conclusions from these materials or following instructions given in them. Students practice comparing and contrasting, writing outlines of and summarizing their reading.
With their fictional materials, sixth-grade students in Indiana are expected to identify genre, consider the impact of character and setting on plots, recognize stylistic choices in poetry, analyze themes in novels, recognize symbolism and imagery, recognize plot conflicts and their resolutions, and consider whether plots or characters are believable.
In their writing, students are expected to use prewriting and proofreading techniques to produce clear and well-constructed essays. They write narrative, descriptive and persuasive essays and research papers.
Grammar standards for this grade level include correct subject-verb agreement and the use of past, present and future perfect verb tenses.
In their oral presentations, students use the same skills that they use in their reading and writing: They should construct their thoughts logically, organize their presentations in a way that serves their arguments and include narrative, descriptive and persuasive elements.
Sixth-graders work with fractions, decimals and mixed numbers. They should be able to represent fractions, decimals, positive whole numbers and negative numbers on a number line. They should recognize equivalent fractions and decimals and be able to convert between them. They also use greatest common factors and least common multiples to reduce fractions.
For computation skills, they should be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative whole numbers, fractions and decimals. They should also understand ratios and percentages and be able to use this understanding to solve word problems.
In algebra, sixth-grade students in Indiana learn to apply the order of operations, use parentheses in equations, solve equations with one variable and apply formulas with three variables. Students learn to graph ordered pairs and linear functions on a coordinate plane.
In geometry, students can solve problems involving angles and triangles. They understand what it means if shapes are similar, translated or reflected.
Students also learn the different units of measurement, estimate probabilities and choose for themselves the best method to use to solve problems.
In physical science, students understand the difference between potential and kinetic energy, and the different manifestations of energy (light, sound, heat, electricity and motion). They also understand the differences between solids, liquids and gases and what causes matter to change from one state to another.
In earth science, students understand the effects of gravity on matter, the effects of the earth's rotations on the cycles of days, months and years, and the differences between the various planets in the solar system.
In life science, students learn about relationships between life-forms, where life-forms get their energy, and how photosynthesis works.
Students also learn to build their own simple machine and explain how it works using their understanding of energy.
Students study the history of western civilization through the lens of major social, political and religious trends, such as the development of Christianity, the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and the Reformation.
Students learn about the different forms of government across the history of Europe and the Americas, and they compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities of the people under those governments.
They study the geography of Europe and the Americas, focusing on the major cities they have learned about in their history work. They also study the impact of geographical features on local cultures, international trade and population spread.
In their study of economics, sixth-graders in Indiana learn about the banking system, the international trade system and what constitutes a useful or marketable skill.