SIXTH GRADE

        In the sixth grade, the study of the Roman Empire — its greatness, its vanity and its collapse — is a center point of the curriculum.  Children of this age can begin to empathize with this time of struggle and growth in human history and can begin to experience a kinship with people from other times.  Thus, they can begin to feel that they are not alone in their inward struggles.  Physics is introduced to study the natural world.  As children approach age twelve, changes begin in their physical bodies.  One of the most subtle is the hardening of the bones.  Boys and girls are more aware of gravity and weight.  With the increasing awareness of their physical bodies, the time is right for the study of the physical body of the earth.  Geology turns to the structure of the earth, and proceeds from the study of the flora and fauna of the geological ages to minerals, metals, and finally gems and crystals, leading to the functions of the mineral and metallic substances in the human organism.