Monday — The Yellow River Valley
Social Studies
40 minMap the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze rivers; loess soil and seasonal flooding.
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
- Together (10 min): Map the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze rivers.
- Independent practice (12 min): loess soil and seasonal flooding..
- Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.
Check for understanding
Exit ticket: name two specific details (place, person, date, or cause) and explain why they matter.
At-home tip for parents
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 "Map the Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze rivers".
Homework
Read tonight's textbook section (10–15 min) and add three new facts to your notebook timeline.
Resources & materials to teach from (5)Hide resources
- MapMaker — free classroom maps· Interactive / simulation · National Geographic Education
Build the Eastern Hemisphere base map together.
- Blank world & continent outline maps· Printable · Library of Congress
Print one per student for the map workshop.
- Five Themes of Geography (6 min)· Video · National Geographic
- OpenStax World History Vol. 1 (full free textbook)· Textbook / OER reading · OpenStax — Rice University
Your free spine textbook. Pick the chapter aligned to this week.
- World History Encyclopedia — search· Article · World History Encyclopedia
Reliable, classroom-safe articles on every era.
Math
50 minEquivalent expressions practice (6.EE.A.3): factor and expand.
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Number talk (5 min): mental-math warm-up tied to today's concept.
- Mini-lesson (12 min): worked example of "Equivalent expressions practice (6" with the teacher modeling thinking out loud.
- We do (10 min): class works two problems together; students explain each step.
- You do (15 min): students try 4–6 problems independently or with a partner; teacher confers.
- Closure (5 min): one student presents a solution; class critiques the reasoning.
Check for understanding
Exit ticket: 2 problems — one procedural, one word problem — graded for accuracy and reasoning.
At-home tip for parents
Ask your child to teach you tonight's idea in 60 seconds: "Show me one example of equivalent expressions practice (6." 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 & materials to teach from (6)Hide resources
- Illustrative Math 6 — Unit 7 'Rational Numbers'· Textbook / OER reading · Illustrative Math
- GCF & LCM (8 min)· Video · Khan Academy
- Illustrative Math 6 — Unit 6 'Expressions & Equations'· Textbook / OER reading · Illustrative Math
- Intro to variables (5 min)· Video · Khan Academy
- Illustrative Mathematics — Grade 6 (free, CCSS-aligned)· Textbook / OER reading · Illustrative Math (Kendall Hunt OER)
The recommended free OER spine for Grade 6 math.
ELA
45 minRead on the geography of ancient China; integrate text + maps (RI.6.7).
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
- Together (10 min): Read on the geography of ancient China.
- Independent practice (12 min): integrate text + maps ..
- Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.
Check for understanding
Exit ticket: one quoted sentence from today's text + one sentence explaining what it shows.
At-home tip for parents
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 on the geography of ancient China".
Homework
Independent reading 20 min + log title, pages, and one sentence of reaction.
Resources & materials to teach from (2)Hide resources
- CommonLit — Grade 6 free reading library· Article · CommonLit
Free leveled passages with built-in text-dependent questions.
Science
30 minLiving vs. nonliving review; characteristics of life in microorganisms.
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
- Together (10 min): Living vs. nonliving review.
- Independent practice (12 min): characteristics of life in microorganisms..
- Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.
Check for understanding
Exit ticket: one claim + one piece of evidence from today's investigation, with units where relevant.
At-home tip for parents
Ask: "What did you observe today, and what do you think it means?" Encourage your child to draw a labeled sketch of "Living vs" on a sticky note.
Homework
Finish lab notebook entry (sketch + CER paragraph) if not done in class.
Resources & materials to teach from (5)Hide resources
- OpenSciEd 6.4 'Cells & Systems' (free unit)· Textbook / OER reading · OpenSciEd
Full free NGSS unit — lessons, slides, handouts.
- Cell Explorer — virtual microscope· Interactive / simulation · CELLS Alive
Project the interactive cell when you don't have slides.
- Inside the Cell (5 min)· Video · Amoeba Sisters
- OpenSciEd — free NGSS middle-school units· Textbook / OER reading · OpenSciEd
The recommended free OER spine — full units with materials lists.
- PhET Simulations (free, classroom-ready)· Interactive / simulation · PhET — CU Boulder
Use whenever a phenomenon needs a hands-on model.
Materials & worksheet checklist
Bring every day
- Sharpened pencil & eraser
- Day's notebook (one section per subject)
Social Studies
- Outline map & colored pencils
ELA
- Anchor text or passage handout