6th grade Science: how to help at home
What your child learns in 6th grade science in the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Earth and space science: the solar system, plate tectonics, rocks, Earth's history, resources and climate
- Science and engineering practices: analyzing data and building models
- How science connects to people and communities in Minnesota and beyond
Easy ways to practice science at home
- Turn everyday questions into investigations: “Which paper towel holds the most water?”
- Read a science news story together and ask what evidence it gives.
- Look up how a household machine works, such as a bike gear, a lamp or a fridge.
- Have your child draw and label a diagram of something they just learned.
What each unit covers
Our Solar System
The planets in order, rocky versus giant planets, reading a table of planet data, moons, dwarf planets, comets and the asteroid belt.
The Rock Cycle
How igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form and change into one another, weathering and erosion, and a short reading passage.
Plate Tectonics
Practices the evidence that Earth's plates move (fossils, rocks, the shapes of continents and the seafloor), what happens at plate boundaries, and how scientists forecast earthquakes and volcanoes to keep people safe.
Earth's Moving Surface
Practices how Earth's surface changes slowly and quickly, at small and large scales: plates, mountain building, the rock cycle, weathering and erosion, and glaciers, which shaped Minnesota's lakes.
Earth's History & Fossils
Practices how rock layers and the fossils in them are used to build the geologic time scale and to work out the relative ages of rocks, with examples from Minnesota, home to some of the oldest rocks in North America.
Climate & Climate Change
Practices how sunlight, oceans, latitude and large lakes shape regional climates, the evidence for why Earth's average temperature is rising, and ways to reduce it, with how a warming climate is changing Minnesota's winters.
Resources & Hazards
Practices why Earth's mineral, energy and water resources are spread unevenly, how scientists forecast natural hazards, and ways to reduce human impact on the environment, including Minnesota's iron ore and groundwater.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Minnesota report card guide.
Common questions
Turn everyday questions into investigations: “Which paper towel holds the most water?” Read a science news story together and ask what evidence it gives. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards 6th grade science units include Our Solar System, The Rock Cycle, Plate Tectonics, Earth's Moving Surface, Earth's History & Fossils, Climate & Climate Change.
Free printable 6th grade science practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.