Academy School: Where learners are launched. Discovery through curiosity, creativity and intellect.
Sixth Grade
Andrew Speno
6th Grade
Andrew came to Academy School in 2016, after teaching 5th grade for 7 years at Green Street School. He was a proud member of the 4th grade team at Academy for several years, and this year he is an Academic Support Teacher for 6th Grade. Andrew is a long time resident of Brattleboro and a former Academy student. He has a Bachelors degree in Education and Environmental Studies from Union Institute and University and is currently completing a Masters degree in Educational Leadership through Southern New Hampshire University. Andrew enjoys helping students reach their full potential academically and socially in school, as well as how to be responsible citizens in their community.
Kyle Hoard
6th Grade
Kyle has been a member of the 6th Grade team at Academy school for four years now. He graduated from Keene State College in 2008 with a degree in both Elementary Education and Geography. He enjoys bringing his love for teaching into the classroom and through remote learning, with a fun an engaging atmosphere, where everyone who enters feels like they can and will learn.
Sarah Kaltenbaugh
6th Grade
Sarah graduated from Catawba College with an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and later went on to earn their Master’s from SIT. They’ve taught in Thailand, the Federated States of Micronesia, and in a few states closer to home. Sarah mixes practices from experiential education, outdoor education, and proficiency based education to create life long learners who strive to change the world. When not at school, you might find Sarah hiking in the local woods, taking classes at NECCA, or in the trees of Windsor Mountain International Summer Camp.
Welcome to the 6th grade page! The sixth grade is a transitional year as students finish up their elementary school and prepare to make the leap to the middle school. We will do our very best to prepare and support your students as they move towards the culmination of their elementary school years.
Our learning community is one that believes that every student can be successful! We believe that intelligence is something that can be developed and that persistence and challenging work are the best ways to build synaptic connections and intelligence.
We will be using the Engage NY curriculum to deliver Common Core math instruction. Concepts we study in class can be accessed on their website at www.engageny.org. Please feel free to access the website on your own, or contact us if you have specific questions. This curriculum is highly praised for accessing higher math thinking, problem-solving strategies, and furthering the development of mathematical reasoning
In literacy, we will work thematically to enrich and integrate our social studies curriculum while building comprehension, reading fluency, and vocabulary development. Working conditions throughout history, and globally will be a focus of our current units.
Throughout these units, we will be analyzing the structure, elements, and most effective traits of historical fiction, speeches, and news articles. We will be focusing on persuasive devices, descriptive language, and source evaluation. We will then be moving into other novels that will integrate with other social studies content.
For our process writing instruction, our first learning targets include developing descriptive language, figurative language, and the structure of personal narratives for writing memoirs. Later in the year, we will focus on source evaluation, citing specific evidence, and constructing counter-arguments in persuasive writing.
Social studies units include presenting students with a basis for understanding the structure of our government, the events and historical contexts that led to the Civil War, and additionally, slavery and abolition. The five themes of Geography are also a focus of our 6th grade social studies curriculum. We hope that with these tools, students will better understand the world in which they live.
Our science instruction includes unit studies in cell biology, geology, and the structure of matter. We also will consistently be facilitating student’s development of inquiry-based approaches in science. As STEM becomes a larger player in our society and world, we want students to be prepared and creative questioners, observers, and problem solvers.
Sixth grade is a year where students really make a leap between concrete and abstract thinking. A year where they move from being children to adolescents, and a year that is full of grappling and growth. We fully believe in your children and strive for them to have an enriching, challenging, and successful 6th grade year!