Welcome to Sixth Grade at Sacred Heart School.

The sixth grade classroom is a busy room buzzing with the excitement and energy of middle school –age children.  Sixth grade students are navigating the middle school halls for the first time as they experience changing classrooms and teachers. Their enthusiasm for their school and parish is inspiring and contagious!  My name is Mrs. Colleen Franken field and I’m enjoying my fifth year here at Sacred Heart School as the sixth grade homeroom teacher.  I teach sixth grade reading, seventh and eighth grade literature, and sixth through eighth grade language arts classes.

My Philosophy

I love helping young adolescents understand their world and faith through the study of the humanities. Students this age are exploring who they are and what they want in life, and they need guidance and acceptance.  My goals are to increase their willingness and skill at reading and writing in preparation for high school and beyond.  Every student can learn and has much to offer the class and the world as a literate citizen. A student’s individual strengths and personal learning styles will always be respected and fostered as I strive to produce independent, creative students with the problem-solving skills needed for our modern world. 

Classroom Rules

Middle school language arts students must have a journal for daily writing as well as a copybook for notes. Students are expected to complete all assignments independently and sign an academic integrity statement for all writing assignments that states the work is their own.  All writing for portfolios will include a rough draft done in pencil, with revisions in blue pen, and proofreading and editing in red pen.  Final copies may be typed or handwritten in blue or black pen.

Since literature class is dependent upon discussing and analyzing stories, novels, plays, and poems, classroom participation by all students that respects everyone’s views and opinions is of paramount importance.

Juggling several subjects and teachers is a challenge for many middle schools, therefore adhering to deadlines and following rules is emphasized to increase students’ readiness for high school.

Curriculum and Grading

Tests and papers are 80% of the final marking period grade, and quizzes and homework are 20% of the final marking period grade.  Extra credit is given periodically at the discretion of the teacher.  Students are rewarded with incentives to participate in class.

Religion (Taught by Stacey Hoch)

Sixth grade religion studies the Old Testament and the story of God’s Chosen People.  Students participate in “Living Stations of the Cross” on Good Friday.

Science (Taught by Stacey Hoch)

Sixth grade science focuses on chemistry and physics.  Topics include matter, energy, magnetism, simple machines, and atoms and the periodic table. Critical thinking and problem solving are the methods used in class to gain a deeper understanding of the core material.  Hands on experimentation and investigations are also an important part of the science program. 

Math & Advanced Algebra (Taught by Shirley Gorsky)

The students in math need to come to class prepared. They will need pencils, loose leaf, graph paper, compass, protractor, copybook and ruler. The grade will be based upon homework, which is given every night, quizzes, tests, copybooks and class participation.

Social Studies (Taught by Stacey Hoch)

Sixth grade social studies focuses on ancient civilizations.  We travel through time and visit the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.  Students will also study European history and culture.  Geography and map skills are an essential part of the curriculum along with myths, storytelling, and architecture.

Spelling/Vocabulary (Taught by Stacey Hoch)

The Sadlier-Oxford series focuses on words, their meanings and context and usages.  There is a week long study of spelling followed by the same time slot for vocabulary.

Reading (Taught by Colleen Frankenfield)

Reading and literature classes emphasize active reading strategies to increase comprehension and vocabulary acquisition across all subjects, while literary analysis skills build higher level understanding of and appreciation for great writing and the many dimensions of human experience.  Students will read,
write,  and respond to a variety of print and non-print texts, including  fiction, nonfiction, contemporary, and classic words.  Writing portfolios will include expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive writing samples and a variety of creative and poetic works.

Language Arts (Taught by Colleen Frankenfield)

Grammar is taught primarily within the context of writing, with an emphasis on the five domains of good writing :  Focus, organization, content ,conventions and style.  Students apply knowledge of language structure, conventions, and techniques, to create, critique, and discuss a variety of written and oral communication.

Spanish (Taught by Stacey Hoch)

Students learn basic words and phrases, numbers, and verbs.  History and culture of Spanish speaking countries is also covered.