5 Incredible Things You'll Learn in Sixth Grade

Sure, witnessing a zombie apocalypse is probably your first choice. Discovering how mummies are put together could be a cool runner-up, though.

One of the incredible things you'll encounter in sixth grade is the study of ancient civilizations. Students in a few sixth grade classrooms even create their own mummified remains by curing chicken legs in salt solutions for several weeks, until they're sufficiently dried and ready to be wrapped in gauze strips.

For extra credit, be sure to suggest a variety of Egyptian names for your chicken, or decorate a shoebox with hieroglyphics and use it as a sarcophagus. (If your teacher isn't comfortable with raw chicken projects, you could direct him or her to step-by-step mummy project instructions).

In the sixth grade, you may encounter an elective debate class or discover debate as a portion of another class. Either way, you'll experience one of the oldest art forms known to man -- argument.

Debate is a process that follows clear rules. You and your classmates will take turns presenting factual information that supports your argument (or pokes holes in your opponent's argument).

Sure, your teacher will probably feel great about teach you all kinds of helpful skills, like public speaking, abstract thinking and analytical questioning [source: Sunda]. You, however, can delve into your assigned debate topics knowing just how handy these persuasive skills will be the next time you try to convince your parents to get a puppy or go on a fun trip.

You'll probably still need to wear a watch, but there's an incredible bonus for paying attention during fifth-period geology: You can use fossils to tell time, too.

A fossil is a remnant of a long-ago animal or plant preserved in the earth's crust. And the type of fossil can help determine how long ago the animal lived. For example, if scientists know a now-extinct fish was swimming around 50 million years ago, finding a fossil of that fish offers clues as to how old the soil is. This is known as an "index" fossil, because it helps scientists organize the different ages of soil.

Without science, there wouldn't be Iron Man, Spider-man or a gang of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Haven't heard of the men in green? Ask your parents; they'll know.) And now you can be a bona fide scientist, too.

In sixth grade, you'll start using a school laboratory and conducting experiments using chemical compounds. There will be glass beakers, Bunsen burners and measuring droppers. And about the time it starts to feel like you're manning the crime lab in an episode of "CSI: NY," you'll discover something even better: the scientific process. During sixth grade, you'll take theory and hypothesis to a whole new level as you look for scientific answers.

Becoming a sixth grade author will be as "sweet as a sugar donut." And by the time you're done, you'll be able to sling similes about donuts or anything else that comes to mind.

Similes, words or phrases which compare one thing to another, are just one of the incredible literary tools you'll learn in sixth grade. You'll also brush up on sentence structure, punctuation and spelling as you research and write everything from essays to informative articles and persuasive stories [source: Williams].

This may seem like a lot to tackle, but don't worry: Your brain will keep up. It's growing at a rapid rate, making new connections and absorbing new information. You're already set up for sixth grade success. All you have to do is pay attention.