Elementary Concepts: Sixth Grade Math

By the sixth grade students should already have a firm understanding of basic arithmetic. Grade six helps to cement this knowledge, finalizing a student's grasp of fractions, decimals and mixed numbers, as well as 'greater than' and 'less than' concepts. Sixth graders should understand and be able to use ratios and percentages in a variety of mathematical and word problems and they should know multiples, factors and the prime numbers up to 100.

Measurement skills become important by the end of the sixth grade. A student who has finished sixth grade math should have a complete understanding of basic metric and standard units and all of the prefixes associated with those terms. In sixth grade, students learn squared and cubed units and the measurements of circumferences, parallelograms, rectangles and triangles. A child in the sixth grade will be able to convert between measurement units and calculate the volume of prisms.

Sixth grade students should be able to classify triangles and other shapes by their angle and side properties. Sixth graders are expected to be familiar with coordinate systems and be proficient at plotting points on the graphs.

By before entering the sixth grade, students should have an understanding of basic data collection methods used to produce graphs and charts. During the sixth grade students will learn how to use spreadsheets. Before entering the seventh grade, students should also know how to conduct probability experiments and be able to logically examine and analyze the results.