Sixth grade at PDS is characterized by the leadership role the students play for the younger students at the Main Campus, and as transitioning middle school students getting ready for the greater demands of 7th and 8th grade. We emphasize personal accountability and independence with regard to managing the academic workload. By 6th grade we also hope students understand their strengths and challenge areas so that they can advocate for themselves in the following years with multiple teachers. In terms of their social and cognitive development, sixth graders vary widely. While some are fully embracing the social attitudes and conduct of adolescents, others are far from this change. Cognitively, some students are still in the latter phases of Concrete Thinking, while others are somewhere along the continuum of Abstract Thinking, which will continue to develop over the coming years. It is important to know where a student is in this transition so we teachers can accommodate and nurture their natural progress.

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