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Grade 6 · Quarter 1 · Week 3 · Monday

From City-State to Empire

Mesopotamia II — Babylon, Empire & Hammurabi's Code — From city-state to empire; one of the world's first written legal codes.

Week standards: 6.NS.A.1 · RI.6.2 · RI.6.6 · W.6.1 · MS-LS1-3 · C3 D2.Civ.5.6-8

Suggested timing

8:30 Morning meeting · 8:45 Social Studies · 9:30 Math · 10:15 break · 10:30 ELA · 11:30 Science · 12:15 lunch · 1:00 specials & wrap-up

Social Studies

40 min

Sargon of Akkad — the world's first empire; what changes when one ruler controls many cities.

Learning target: I can sargon of Akkad — the world's first empire.

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
  2. Together (10 min): Sargon of Akkad — the world's first empire.
  3. Independent practice (12 min): what changes when one ruler controls many cities..
  4. Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.

Check: Exit ticket: name two specific details (place, person, date, or cause) and explain why they matter.

Home tip: At home, ask: "Where on a map would you find what you studied today?" Have your child point it out and tell you one cause and one effect from "Sargon of Akkad — the world's first empire".

Homework: Read tonight's textbook section (10–15 min) and add three new facts to your notebook timeline.

Resources to teach from

  • Textbook / OER reading: OpenStax World History Vol. 1 — Ch. 4 'Asia' — OpenStax (https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-1/pages/4-introduction)
  • Primary source: Terracotta Army (Smithsonian feature) — Smithsonian (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/terra-cotta-soldiers-on-the-march-30942673/)
  • Article: Silk Road map + overview — Asia Society (https://asiasociety.org/education/silk-road)
  • Video: Mandate of Heaven (5 min) — Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/ancient-china/v/the-mandate-of-heaven-and-the-zhou-dynasty)

Math

50 min

Fraction division intro: 'how many 1/4 cups in 3 cups?' (6.NS.A.1).

Learning target: I can fraction division intro: 'how many 1/4 cups in 3 cups?' (6.

Step-by-step

  1. Number talk (5 min): mental-math warm-up tied to today's concept.
  2. Mini-lesson (12 min): worked example of "Fraction division intro: 'how many 1/4 cups in 3 cups?'" with the teacher modeling thinking out loud.
  3. We do (10 min): class works two problems together; students explain each step.
  4. You do (15 min): students try 4–6 problems independently or with a partner; teacher confers.
  5. Closure (5 min): one student presents a solution; class critiques the reasoning.

Check: Exit ticket: 2 problems — one procedural, one word problem — graded for accuracy and reasoning.

Home tip: Ask your child to teach you tonight's idea in 60 seconds: "Show me one example of fraction division intro: 'how many 1/4 cups in 3 cups?'." Teaching it back is the fastest way to lock it in.

Homework: Practice set: 6–8 problems mirroring class work. Show steps; circle the answer.

Resources to teach from

  • Textbook / OER reading: Illustrative Mathematics 6 — Unit 4 'Dividing Fractions' — Illustrative Math (https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/students/1/4/index.html)
  • Video: Dividing fractions by fractions (visual) — Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math/cc-6th-arithmetic-operations/cc-6th-dividing-fractions/v/dividing-fractions-example)
  • Textbook / OER reading: Illustrative Mathematics — Grade 6 (free, CCSS-aligned) — Illustrative Math (Kendall Hunt OER) (https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/students/1/index.html)
  • Video: Khan Academy — Grade 6 math — Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math)

ELA

45 min

Read Hammurabi's Code excerpts (primary source); identify central idea (RI.6.2).

Learning target: I can read Hammurabi's Code excerpts (primary source).

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
  2. Together (10 min): Read Hammurabi's Code excerpts (primary source).
  3. Independent practice (12 min): identify central idea ..
  4. Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.

Check: Exit ticket: one quoted sentence from today's text + one sentence explaining what it shows.

Home tip: Ask: "Who is the main character or speaker in what you read today, and what do they want?" Then have your child read aloud one favorite sentence from "Read Hammurabi's Code excerpts (primary source)".

Homework: Independent reading 20 min + log title, pages, and one sentence of reaction.

Resources to teach from

  • Article: CommonLit — Grade 6 free reading library — CommonLit (https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts?grade_levels%5B%5D=6)
  • Article: ReadWorks — Grade 6 passages + questions — ReadWorks (https://www.readworks.org/find-content#!q:/g:6/t:/dt:/sb:relevance)

Science

45 min

Body systems overview: name the 11 systems of the human body.

Learning target: I can body systems overview: name the 11 systems of the human body.

Step-by-step

  1. Phenomenon (5 min): show an image, video, or demo and ask, "What do you notice? What do you wonder?"
  2. Mini-lesson (10 min): teacher introduces the science of "Body systems overview: name the 11 systems of the human body" with a labeled diagram.
  3. Investigation (20 min): students gather data — observe, measure, model, or run the lab.
  4. Sense-making (8 min): students record a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning response in the lab notebook.
  5. Share-out (2 min): one group presents data; class compares results.

Check: Exit ticket: one claim + one piece of evidence from today's investigation, with units where relevant.

Home tip: Ask: "What did you observe today, and what do you think it means?" Encourage your child to draw a labeled sketch of "Body systems overview: name the 11 systems of the human body" on a sticky note.

Homework: Finish lab notebook entry (sketch + CER paragraph) if not done in class.

Resources to teach from

  • Interactive / simulation: BioDigital Human (free with signup) — BioDigital (https://www.biodigital.com/)
  • Video: Body systems overview (Crash Course Kids) — Crash Course Kids #28 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPwMftpCpiI)
  • Textbook / OER reading: OpenSciEd — free NGSS middle-school units — OpenSciEd (https://www.openscied.org/access-the-materials/)
  • Interactive / simulation: PhET Simulations (free, classroom-ready) — PhET — CU Boulder (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/filter?subjects=earth-science,biology,physics,chemistry&type=html)

Materials & worksheet checklist

Bring every day

  • Sharpened pencil & eraser
  • Day's notebook (one section per subject)

Math

  • Worksheet: Dividing Fractions by Fractions [1D] · 20–30 min
  • Quiz: Fractions, Factors, and Exponents [Quiz 1.2] · 20 min
  • Assessment: Q1 Cumulative Assessment [Q1] · 40–50 min

ELA

  • Passage: Reading Passage: Mesopotamian Scribal Culture (with comprehension) [1B]
  • Assessment: Q1 ELA Assessment [Q1]
  • Anchor text or passage handout

End-of-day reflection (student)

One thing I learned today:

One question I still have:

SixthGrade · Quarter 1 · Week 3 · MondayPrinted for classroom use

Part of the K–6 Homeschool Curriculum series · Grade 6 · Eastern Hemisphere & Ancient Civilizations