What your child learns in 6th grade in Texas
6th grade is the start of middle school in many Texas districts. Math moves to ratios, rates, percents and integers. Science covers matter, energy, Earth and living things together, and social studies is contemporary world cultures: the regions, peoples, governments and economies of the world today.
6th grade subjects in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Math
Focus areas
- Number and operations: integers and rational numbers, integer operations, and dividing fractions
- Proportionality: ratios, rates and percents
- Expressions, equations and relationships: exponents, one-step equations and inequalities, and area and volume
19 units, including Integers & Decimals, Decimal × and ÷, Dividing Fractions, Mixed Numbers & Ratios.
English Language Arts
Focus areas
- Foundational language skills: Greek and Latin roots such as bene, scrib and jur, and context clues
- Comprehension, response and genres: point of view, plot, argument and multimodal texts
- Author's purpose and craft, and composition: rhetorical devices and logical fallacies, and editing complex sentences
14 units, including Point of View, Connotation & Tone, Make Your Case, Agreement.
Science
Focus areas
- Matter, the periodic table, density and chemical change
- Forces, Newton's third law, energy and waves
- Seasons, tides, Earth's spheres and layers, and the rock cycle
17 units, including Particles & Mixtures, The Periodic Table, Density & Buoyancy, Chemical Reactions.
Social Studies
Focus areas
- Contemporary world cultures: societies in the world's regions today
- Geography: world maps, regions, countries, population and migration
- Economics and government: economic systems, development, and limited and unlimited governments
9 units, including Time & Evidence, Trade Routes & Beliefs, Economies of the World, Governments & Citizens.
Printable 6th grade sheets
One free practice sheet for each subject, with an answer key. Print them, or work through them on screen.
What to look for on the report card
Look for comments about organization, explaining reasoning in math and writing with evidence.
Texas has no statewide report-card scale in 6th grade, so Gradelings describes practice in four steps: Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. See what each level means.
6th grade students also take the Texas state tests (STAAR). Read the state tests guide.
The TEKS process skills apply in every grade. Read about Process skills.
The four practice steps in 6th grade
- Beginning
- Practice shows a first understanding of the learning standards. Most answers still need a hint or a second try.
- At home: Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Practice shows a partial understanding of the learning standards. Some answers are right on the first try.
- At home: Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Practice shows a solid understanding of the learning standards. Most answers are right on the first try.
- At home: Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Practice shows a deep understanding of the learning standards, including harder, unfamiliar questions.
- At home: Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Ready for 6th grade?
6th grade builds on what your child practiced in 5th grade. If a skill feels shaky, a few short practice sessions before or early in the year can help:
- Math: Decimals, Multiply, Divide, Unlike Denominators, Prime Factor Trees
- English Language Arts: Plot and Conflict, Figurative Language, Purpose and Structure, Context Clues, Greek and Latin Roots
- Science: Solutions & Mixtures, Measuring Matter, Solid, Liquid, Gas, Forces, Friction and Machines, Forms of Energy
- Social Studies: The Thirteen Colonies, Colonial Trade & Work, Road to Revolution, The American Revolution, Building a Government
Common questions
6th grade covers math, English language arts, science, social studies in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). 6th grade is the start of middle school in many Texas districts. Math moves to ratios, rates, percents and integers. Science covers matter, energy, Earth and living things together, and social studies is contemporary world cultures: the regions, peoples, governments and economies of the world today.
Texas has no statewide report-card scale in 6th grade, so Gradelings describes practice in four steps: Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. Students in 6th grade also write the Texas state tests (STAAR), which is separate from the report card.
Practice shows a solid understanding of the learning standards. Most answers are right on the first try. At home: Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
6th grade builds on 5th grade. In math, that means Decimals, Multiply, Divide. In English language arts, that means Plot and Conflict, Figurative Language, Purpose and Structure.
About 15 minutes a day of short practice works better than long sessions, on the skills your child's teacher flags. Look for fractions, decimals and percentages in sale signs, sports statistics and recipes. Read what they are interested in: graphic novels, sports pages, series. Then talk about it. Praise effort, and stop on a success.
Practice 6th grade skills with Gradelings
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