6th Grade

Click here to view Utah's 6th Grade Math Standards on the Utah Education Network Website.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of Utah's 6th Grade Math Standards.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

In Grade 6, instructional time should focus on four critical areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking.

(1) Students will use reasoning about multiplication and division to solve ratio and rate problems about quantities. By viewing equivalent ratios and rates as deriving from, and extending, pairs of rows (or columns) in the multiplication table, and by analyzing simple drawings that indicate the relative size of quantities, students will connect their understanding of multiplication and division with ratios and rates. Thus students will expand the scope of problems for which they can use multiplication and division to solve problems, and they connect ratios and fractions. Students will solve a wide variety of problems involving ratios and rates.

(2) Students will use the meaning of fractions, the meanings of multiplication and division, and the relationship between multiplication and division to understand and explain why the procedures for dividing fractions make sense. Students will use these operations to solve problems. Students will extend their previous understandings of number and the ordering of numbers to the full system of rational numbers, which includes negative rational numbers, and in particular negative integers. They will reason about the order and absolute value of rational numbers and about the location of points in all four quadrants of the coordinate plane.

(3) Students will understand the use of variables in mathematical expressions. They will write expressions and equations that correspond to given situations, evaluate expressions, and use expressions and formulas to solve problems. Students will understand that expressions in different forms can be equivalent, and they will use the properties of operations to rewrite expressions in equivalent forms. Students will know that the solutions of an equation are the values of the variables that make the equation true. Students will use properties of operations and the idea of maintaining the equality of both sides of an equation to solve simple one-step equations. Students will construct and analyze tables, such as tables of quantities that are in equivalent ratios, and they will use equations (such as 3x = y) to describe relationships between quantities.

(4) Building on and reinforcing their understanding of number, students will begin to develop their ability to think statistically. Students will recognize that a data distribution may not have a definite center and that different ways to measure center yield different values. The median measures center in the sense that it is roughly the middle value. The mean measures center in the sense that it is the value that each data point would take on if the total of the data values were redistributed equally, and also in the sense that it is a balance point. Students will recognize that a measure of variability (interquartile range or mean absolute deviation) can also be useful for summarizing data because two very different sets of data can have the same mean and median yet be distinguished by their variability. Students will learn to describe and summarize numerical data sets, identifying clusters, peaks, gaps, and symmetry, considering the context in which the data were collected.

(5) Students in Grade 6 will also build on their work with area in elementary school by reasoning about relationships among shapes to determine area, surface area, and volume. They will find areas of right triangles, other triangles, and special quadrilaterals by decomposing these shapes, rearranging or removing pieces, and relating the shapes to rectangles. Using these methods, students will discuss, develop, and justify formulas for areas of triangles and parallelograms. Students will find areas of polygons and surface areas of prisms and pyramids by decomposing them into pieces whose area they can determine. They will reason about right rectangular prisms with fractional side lengths to extend formulas for the volume of a right rectangular prism to fractional side lengths. They will prepare for work on scale drawings and constructions in Grade 7 by drawing polygons in the coordinate plane.

Click here to view Utah's 6th Grade ELA Standards on the Utah Education Network Website.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of Utah's 6th Grade ELA Standards.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

The P-12 Utah State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) were revised by Utah educators in 2022 to identify the key literacy standards necessary for Utah students to master by the end of each grade level. Some standards are mastered in previous grades. If a student has not mastered previous grade level standards, the teacher will need to intervene in order to fill the student's skill gaps.

Organization

The Utah State Standards are organized into strands, which represent significant areas of learning within content areas. In ELA, these strands are speaking & listening, reading, and writing.

Within each strand are standards. All standards are considered essential to master. The skills in the standards require repeated exposure with increasingly complex texts and in increasingly sophisticated contexts. Mastery is only obtained by regular practice over time.

Shifts in the Standards

Changes in the standards were made to improve the consistency and practicality of the standards. These changes include:

• The standards were reduced, simplified, and clarified.
• Phonological Awareness was added in grades 2 and 3.
• The Reading Literature (RL) and Reading Informational (RI) standards were combined where it was most logical.
• The language strand of standards was woven throughout the speaking and listening, reading, and writing strands.
• Much like 9-10 and 11-12, 7th and 8th grade standards were banded.
• References to specific texts were removed from the standards in an effort to broaden representation and enhance local control over curricular choices.

Click here to view Utah's 6th Grade Science Standards on the Utah Education Network Website.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of Utah's 6th Grade Science Standards.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Utah's Science and Engineering Education (SEEd) standards were written by Utah educators and scientists, using a wide array of resources and expertise. A great deal is known about good science instruction. The writing team used sources including A Framework for K-12 Science Education, the Next Generation Science Standards, and related works to craft research-based standards for Utah. These standards were written with students in mind, including developmentally appropriate progressions that foster learning that is simultaneously age-appropriate and enduring. The aim was to address what an educated citizenry should know and understand to embrace the value of scientific thinking and make informed decisions. The SEEd standards are founded on what science is, how science is learned, and the multiple dimensions of scientific work.

Click here to view Utah's 6th Grade Social Studies Standards on the Utah Education Network Website.

Click here to download a printable PDF version of Utah's 6th Grade Social Studies Standards.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Elementary students are deeply curious and full of questions. They may ask, "How did people build those things?" or, "Why can't countries seem to get along?" or even, "How can I make a difference in the world?" One place they can find answers is in social studies. Social Studies is the study of the physical world and our place in it, which involves oral traditions, biographies, dances, artifacts, writings and original documents, and other aspects of culture that comprise the record of human life.

Effective social studies instruction in the elementary classroom encourages this inherent curiosity of young people. A firm grounding in rich and engaging content knowledge about history, geography, civics, and economics lifts learning for all students. This rich content knowledge - coupled with essential skills development - helps students deepen their understanding of the world around them. This deeper understanding will also help reach a central overarching goal of effective social studies instruction: to help young people develop civic competence including the ability to make informed decisions for the public good.

Developing civic competence is one of the fundamental purposes of public schools. The Utah State Board of Education's vision statement strives for the civic engagement of students, as well as civic education. Utah statute defines civic education as, "the cultivation of informed, responsible participation in political life by competent citizens committed to the fundamental values and principles of representative democracy in Utah and the United States." A thorough study of American history and government is an essential component of responsible citizenship.

The future progress of our communities, state, nation, and world rests upon the preparation of young people to collaboratively and deliberately address problems, defend their own rights and liberties - as well as the rights and liberties of others - and to balance personal preferences with the common good. E pluribus unum, or, "out of many one," emphasizes the idea that a varied and diverse people contribute to a unifying national identity. This rich phrase adds depth and understanding to our complex national history. Students are led to enquire about the character and talents of all Americans, which in turn promotes a greater understanding about their own individual contributions and the value they add to this nation.

Social studies offers the ideal venue to nurture civic virtue, consider current issues, practice acting civilly toward others, build a civic identity, bolster historical awareness of governmental structures, and cultivate global awareness. These skills, habits, and qualities of character will better prepare students to recognize and accept responsibility for preserving and defending the liberties secured by the Constitution.

To reach these ends, students should have ample opportunities to:

• Engage in deliberative, collaborative, and civil dialogue regarding historical and current issues.
• Apply knowledge of governmental structure, historic concepts, geographic interrelationships, and economic principles to analyze and explain current events.
• Identify local, state, national, or international issues; consider solutions and understand who best can address the needs; and share their ideas with appropriate public and/or private stakeholders.
• Develop and demonstrate the values that sustain America’s constitutional democratic republic, such as open-mindedness, engagement, honesty, problem-solving, responsibility, diligence, resilience, empathy, self-control, respect for the beliefs of others, and cooperation, as well as its foundational principles, such as limited government, separation of state and federal governance, and free-market economy.
• Engage in dialogue regarding American exceptionalism in the sense of the special character of the United States as a free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty.

Civic competence requires an awareness of self and others. Social studies provides the underpinnings for civic awareness and action and exposes the history and wonders of cultures. Disciplines as varied as history, geography, economics, and civics provide clearer vision as students interpret, analyze, and make sense of the world. Access to and use of primary and secondary sources are foundational to understanding historical events. Ideas and concepts central to the purpose of public education are also central to social studies, among them the notion of the common good, the value of self-rule and self determination, the dignity and necessity of honest labor, respect for parents, home, and family, the rights and responsibilities we humans share, and the interconnectedness of human endeavor. With their application of democratic processes, personal responsibility, and life skills, students will be prepared to protect the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution, improving their lives and the lives of all members of society.