Bell Schedule

Mon., Tue., Thu., Fri.

Wed.

Academics

Students have up to three teachers for academic subjects in the following areas:

1. Humanities—Language Arts and Social Science

2. Math and Science

3. Advisory  (30 minute Reading or 30 Minute Math)

Wheel Program

Rather than have electives from which students choose, 6th grade students have a program of four supplemental classes during one of their six periods of the day. Each class spends a nine-week quarter in each program, rotating through the following four classes:

What's on Your Plate

In this class, students examine the choices we make concerning our food through a variety of activities, films, and projects.  Some of the art projects they do include scale fruit and veggie drawings and swirl line drawings.  They watch videos about nutrition, digestion, and farming as well as read excerpts from the book Chew on This.  They discuss where our food comes from, comparing sustainable agriculture vs. non-sustainable and organic farming vs. mono-culture farming.  They also examine what is in our food, looking at fat and sugar content as well as processed vs. unprocessed foods. The Dining Commons supply tasters from the lunch menu so that students can taste and learn to appreciate new foods. Teachers also bring tastings of fresh fruits and vegetables from the farmers market. 

Social Smarts

Social skills aims at teaching students to:

• Respect differences
• Foster empathy for all
• Communicate effectively to resolve conflicts
• Express their needs and listen to the needs of others
• Create a sense of self and cultural understanding

We have created a curriculum that focuses on teaching students self-confidence and self-awareness, as well as an awareness of the harmful effects of bullying and how to be an ally.  The goal is to create a community that fosters an understanding of differences and empathy for others while learning to take personal responsibility for all actions.  Working towards this goal, we  examine popular music and literature, view a locally produced film on bullying, write poetry, create several art projects, and regularly share unique perspectives through discussion and journal writing.

Drama

All students get a nine-week course in drama as part of the wheel rotation. Eight classes are assigned to Mr. Silberg, and two classes are with Ms. Hoppe.  These classes are designed to introduce and extend students' experience with drama and include Shakespeare, improvisation, voice training, scene building, and storytelling. Students work together developing scenes based on stories and situations that enable them to develop ensemble skills (working as a team) as well as individual skills (body movement and vocal confidence) useful for all their coursework. Risk and respect is the motto of the drama program at King. We create situations that encourage risk taking amongst all our students, no matter what their background in drama is, as well as promote an atmosphere of respect for each student’s efforts.

Games

The Games elective wheel class was designed to give students a chance to learn "classic" games, to actively engage with each other, have fun, and analyze what makes a good game. Many of these “classic” games have their origin in the ancient cultures studied by 6th graders in their history class. Games are important in developing mathematical thinking. While playing games, students learn rules, strategies, and logical reasoning, which are foundations of mathematics.   In addition, they learn and practice cooperation, problem solving and many other social skills. For the first six weeks of the games class, students play a variety of “classic” games such as Checkers, Mancala, Chess, Connect Four, Othello, Dominoes, Sorry, Parcheesi, Monopoly, and more. They analyze games for their structure, strategies, and special features that make the games interesting, challenging, and fun to play. For the last three weeks of the quarter students use this knowledge to design their own game and rules. The class culminates with students testing and playing each other’s games.

Edible Schoolyard

Sixth grade students visit the Edible Schoolyard once a week for either Kitchen or Garden.  The curriculum is coordinated with the 6th grade educational program. The Edible Schoolyard at King teaches essential life skills and supports academic learning through hands-on classes in a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom. 

Students come to the garden with their science class. In the garden, they learn the basic tenants of growing food by working with compost, propagating plants in the greenhouse, cultivating beds, and harvesting fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

Students come to the kitchen with their humanities class. In the kitchen classroom, students will gain an understanding of the basic tools and techniques of preparing food, how to read and execute a recipe, and how to share food around the table.

As the Edible Schoolyard is fully integrated in to the academic experience at King, students in the sixth grade  also learn about ancient civilizations, trade along the Silk Road, ecology, and life systems.  

School Supplies

Each student will be given a 12-month planning calendar. All teachers will use this to teach and reinforce study skills in every subject. In addition, students should bring the following supplies to school every day:

• 3-ring heavy duty binder that includes 6 tab dividers and a zippered pencil case to fit in binder
  
• backpack or messenger bag no larger than 10.5" x 9" (so it will fit in a locker) labeled with student's name
  
• 2 pens, 2 pencils
  
• highlighter pen
  
• eraser
  2-pocket folder for homework
  
• 2" ruler
  
• 3-hole lined notebook paper