Here you will find curriculum information for the 6th grade classes as well as short biographies of the 6th grade staff.  For contact information please use the staff directory found on the Our Staff page.

6th Grade

Skyline Middle School

A Proud History of Excellence in Education since 1966

Skyline Middle School

2900 Skyline Drive

Wilmington, DE 19808

Phone: 302-454-3410

Fax: 302-454-3541

To contact us:

6A:

ELA—Mrs. Thomas
Mrs. Thomas graduated from the University of Delaware in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Education.  She has taken graduate courses at U of D to continue her education.  Mrs. Thomas is highly qualified in English.  She has also worked on standards for the district.  In the past, Mrs. Thomas has been the department chair and team leader.  She has won “Superstars in Education” with her team for a mentoring program.  Mrs. Thomas has three children, two boys and a girl.  Mrs. Thomas has taught since 1993 at Conrad Middle and is presently at Skyline Middle.  Mrs. Thomas is very proud to have had her teaching career start in the Red Clay School District because growing up she attended all Red Clay schools.  In her spare time, Ms. Thomas works on special projects with children for youth and dance groups in her community. 

Math—Mr. Miller
Mr. Miller is a graduate of Wilmington University, with a Bachelors of Arts in middle level education. He is highly qualified in Mathematics at the middle school level. Mr. Miller began his teaching career at H.B. du Pont Middle School, and has called Skyline home since 2005. He is currently the Assistant Soccer coach, participates in intramural sports, and volunteers as a mentor to students.

Science—Mrs. S. Smith
Mrs. Smith, is from Milford, Delaware.  She has a BFA from the University of Delaware and M. Ed. from Wilmington College.  Mrs. Smith has been teaching for over twenty years.  In the past she was a teacher naturalist at Ashland Nature Center and has special interest in conservation and nature education. 

Social Studies—Mrs. Higgins
Mrs. Higgins graduated from Wilmington University in 2006 with a BA in middle level education.  She is highly qualified in teaching social studies and science at the middle school level.  Mrs. Higgins is continuing her education at the University of Delaware focusing on social studies education.  She has spent her entire teaching career at Skyline and even volunteered in the building while attending classes to become a teacher.  Mrs. Higgins is a judge for the Odyssey of the Mind program in Delaware.

                 For fun social studies activities visit www.ikeepbookmarks.com/aprilhiggins

Also, please visit Mrs. Higgins on the Skyline SchoolNet page.  Make sure you select Skyline in the drop-down menu in the upper-left part of the page.

6B:

ELA—Mrs. C. Smith
Mrs. Catherine Smith is a native Delawarean who has been teaching for 35+ years.  She received a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Delaware and a M.Ed. from Loyola College as a Reading Specialist.    In her leisure time, Mrs. Smith enjoys walking, reading, and playing with her grandchildren.

Math—Miss Thomassen
Miss Thomassen was born and raised in Delaware. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a certification in Middle School Mathematics. Miss Thomassen is ready for her students to enjoy math as much as she does!

Science—Mr. Madison
Mr. Madison is originally from Saratoga Springs, New York.  He is a graduate from the State University of New York at Potsdam.  He has a Master’s degree in Counseling from Wilmington University.  Mr. Madison has been the teacher of the year at the building level (Highlands Elementary) and the high school lacrosse coach of the year in Delaware.  Mr. Madison is also highly qualified in middle school science.

Social Studies—Mrs. Richardson
Mrs. Richardson is a native Texan that relocated to Delaware.  She has a BS in Education from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi.  With over 30 years of teaching in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, Mrs. Richardson is Highly Qualified in Middle School Social Studies and also as an Elementary Generalist.  She has done extensive work in curriculum development for the Red Clay Consolidated School District.  At Skyline, she is the 6B Team Leader and the Drama Director. 

Special Ed.

ELA/Math—Ms. Koontz
Ms. Koontz is originally from North Wales, Pennsylvania, but moved to Delaware after graduating from the University of Delaware in 2006. She has a bachelors degree in Elementary and Special Education. In addition, Ms. Koontz currently attends Wilmington University where she is pursuing a masters degree in Applied Technology in Education and Leadership. Ms. Koontz has spent her entire teaching career in the Red Clay Consolidated School District and previously worked at The Central School. At Skyline, Ms. Koontz is the advisor for the student council and is a part of the 6B team.

Science/Social Studies—Mrs. McGovern
Mrs. McGovern graduated from Neumann College in 1991 and attends graduate courses at University of Delaware.  She has been teaching for over fifteen years.  She is a “Highly Qualified” teacher in Math and Science. 

 

 

6th Grade ELA Course Overview:
Sixth grade ELA is a sixty minute period in which English, reading, and writing skills are integrated.  Student texts include McDougal-Littell’s Language of  Literature and Language Network.  In addition, each student will read thirty minutes each day during Accelerated Reader period.  Students will continually read a book at their independent reading level, take a quiz, and then choose a new book.

6th Grade Math Courses Overview:
Math 6/Honors Math:
Sixth grade mathematics will cover a variety of topics in order to prepare students for the pre-algebra focus in years to come.  We will begin by reviewing exponents, order of operations, and numerical and geometric patterns.  After this unit, we will move on to data analysis in which students will collect and organize data using the mean, median, mode, and range.  They will also learn to read, interpret, and construct a variety of graphs.  Next, we will be studying rational numbers in which students will learn about fractions, decimals, and percents.  Following rational numbers, we will be studying experimental and theoretical probability focusing on types of probabilities such as games, advertising, and contests.  After this, we will move on to two-dimensional geometry in which we will study polygons and their properties, tessellations, geometric relationships, angles, and transformations.  The unit on geometry will lead us to two-dimensional measurement in which students will investigate ways to find the perimeter and area for a variety of polygons and discover the differences between the two measurements.

Pre-Algebra:
The pre-algebra class will do some of the same topics as listed above in the Math 6 section, but the majority of the year will be spent working on seventh grade pre-algebra topics.  The sixth grade topics that will be covered are exponents, order of operations, rational numbers including operations with fractions and decimals, and two-dimensional geometry.  Then, we will move on to data analysis in which students will read, interpret, and construct a variety of graphs.  They will also describe rates of change in tables and graphs.  Then, they will learn to write and solve algebraic expressions.  Following this unit, we will investigate ratios, proportions, and percents.  This will lead us into our unit on similarity, proportion, scaling, and transformations.  Finally, we will study integers and learn the operations involving negative integers.

6th Grade Science Course Overview:
6th grade science is broad based and will expose students to the fundamentals of the scientific processes as they relate to Physical science, Earth science and Life Science. 

Specific topics to be covered are:
-The nature of science (inquiry, process skills, scientific method, metric system, and tools),
-My Body (systems and science)
-Forces that cause motion (motion, electricity, simple machines)
-The changing earth (rock cycle)

Goals:
-to develop fundamental skills in the use and handling of scientific equipment and materials
-to develop an understanding of the scientific process through hands on experiences
-to develop techniques for observing, recording, analyzing and communicating scientific information
-to cultivate an interest in and an appreciation for science as it relates to everyday life

 

6th Grade Social Studies Overview:
The sixth grade social studies curriculum consists of geography, economics, history, and civics.  Ancient civilizations will be the main focus for our units and activities.  We will be studying the Stone Age, the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome.  Students will be active participants in the classroom.  They will acquire knowledge through a variety of learning styles: cooperative learning, lecture, teacher directed, class discussions, library research, audio-visual, and PC based CD-ROM and Internet resources.  Students will be expected to review, study, and complete numerous assignments at home for homework.  Reports, presentations, and projects will be explained throughout the year.