Suggested progression · 32 mini-lessons
Explore eight subjects, then move from a unit to a lesson. Unit order and prerequisites are suggestions for planning; adapt to the learner’s readiness and your local course requirements.
Grade 6 · Course placement varies
Move from whole-number reasoning to ratios, rational numbers and expressions. Use visual models and units to explain calculations before relying on procedures.
Suggested order: number relationships → expressions and models → geometry and data. Accelerated Algebra I requires a separate, coherent course sequence.
Coverage: Six mini-lessons sample this progression; they do not exhaust its skills or the Grade 6 standards.
Build from fraction and decimal reasoning to rate comparisons and signed-number order.
Before this unit: Whole-number operations Equivalent fractions
Represent unknown quantities and decompose figures using familiar operations.
Before this unit: Number relationships and rates
Collect numerical evidence and describe its center, shape and variation.
Before this unit: Decimal arithmetic
Grade 6 · Course placement varies
Read closely with explicit evidence and develop organized, supported writing. Use short original passages to practice before moving to longer, appropriately challenging texts.
Begin with supported reading and modeled paragraphs. Revisit language, speaking and listening throughout the units.
Coverage: Short excerpts introduce skills; a full course needs sustained reading, all writing modes, vocabulary development and repeated discussion.
Move from explicit details to supported interpretations and text structure.
Before this unit: Summarizing a short passage
Develop an argument, research-based explanation and short narrative.
Before this unit: Paragraph structure Distinguishing fact from opinion
Resolve unclear wording, learn words in context and build a discussion from evidence.
Before this unit: Reading closely
Grade 6 · Course placement varies
Build evidence habits while modeling matter, living systems and Earth processes. Practice describing observations separately from explanations.
Suggested placement only. Districts organize life, physical and Earth/space science differently; NGSS middle school expectations apply across grades 6–8.
Coverage: Paper models and supplied data provide selected experiences. They do not replace a full laboratory sequence or meet entire NGSS performance expectations.
Begin with a controlled comparison, then use a cell model to connect structures and functions.
Before this unit: Read a short data table.
Move from particle models to water pathways across Earth systems.
Before this unit: Distinguish solids, liquids and gases.
Use a spatial model to explain Moon patterns, then evaluate a shelter design.
Before this unit: Interpret arrows and compare quantities.
Grade 6 · Elective / rotation · Availability varies
Use visual elements intentionally and describe choices with specific evidence. Begin with accessible drawing and composition rather than specialized equipment.
Visual arts may be an elective or rotation; course availability and studio resources vary.
Coverage: Two starter lessons; subject-content alignment is not yet verified. Any Common Core connection refers only to the named literacy activity.
Begin with visual evidence, then use peer interpretation to revise an intentional composition.
Before this unit: Identify lines and shapes; describe an image without guessing its meaning.
Grade 6 · Elective / rotation · Availability varies
Recognize and create musical patterns using voice, body percussion or accessible notation. Explain how rhythm and repetition organize a short piece.
General music, ensembles and instrument courses may be electives or rotations; availability varies.
Coverage: Two lessons introduce selected concepts, not a full performance sequence or verified music-standards crosswalk.
Read beat-based symbols first, then arrange contrasting rhythmic sections and explain their structure.
Before this unit: Count equal beats to four; recognize a pause as part of a pattern.
Grade 6 · Course placement varies
Practice inclusive movement decisions and explain how to set an achievable activity goal. Use comfortable alternatives and fictional scenarios where personal information is unnecessary.
Health and PE course requirements and schedules vary. Activities should be adapted to individual access needs and school guidance.
Coverage: Two educational activities; subject-content alignment is not yet verified. They are not individualized health or exercise prescriptions.
Explore spacing and inclusive rules, then practice asking useful questions when a group chooses a strategy.
Before this unit: Describe relative positions using left, right, near and far.
Grade 6 · Elective / rotation · Availability varies
Represent instructions precisely and practice responsible use of information. Use paper-based models and fictional examples without creating accounts or sharing personal data.
Technology, computer science and digital literacy may be electives, rotations or integrated subjects; availability varies.
Coverage: Two introductory lessons; subject-content alignment is not yet verified and this is not a complete computing course.
Start with precise instructions and testing, then evaluate the evidence behind a digital service’s privacy claims.
Before this unit: Read a simple grid; count whole-number steps.
Grade 6 · Course placement varies
Social studies
Learn how geographic questions, sources and institutions help explain communities. Use clearly identified original scenarios rather than treating a single history sequence as universal.
Typical progression & planning notes
Suggested inquiry sequence only. World, US and state history placements vary by jurisdiction; this is not a mandated Grade 6 history course.
Coverage: Short source exercises and fictional data sample inquiry skills, not a comprehensive history survey or verified state-content crosswalk.
Unit 1: Geography and Place
Read geographic descriptions and visual evidence to explain settlement choices without treating geography as destiny.
Before this unit: Read a simple key and locate north, south, east and west.
Unit 2: Sources and Historical Change
Compare modeled source types, separate sequence from explanation and identify what evidence a historical claim needs.
Before this unit: Distinguish a statement about evidence from an unsupported guess.
Unit 3: Civic and Economic Choices
Evaluate a public proposal and an economic tradeoff using explicit goals, costs and evidence.
Before this unit: Compare whole-number quantities and give a reason for a choice.