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Grade 6 · Quarter 2 · Week 13 · Wednesday

Thermopylae, 480 BCE

The Persian Empire & the Persian Wars — Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes; Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis.

Week standards: 6.RP.A.3 · 6.NS.C.5 · RI.6.3 · W.6.7 · MS-LS1-5 · C3 D2.His.4.6-8

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

Leonidas, the 300, and the strategic pass.

Learning target: I can explain leonidas, the 300, and the strategic pass.

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): map / timeline question on the board to activate yesterday's learning.
  2. Mini-lesson (10 min): teacher-led overview of "Leonidas, the 300, and the strategic pass" using the textbook or atlas.
  3. Guided practice (15 min): annotate a primary source, label a map, or sort cards on a timeline with a partner.
  4. Independent practice (10 min): students respond in their notebook with one claim + one piece of evidence.

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 "Leonidas, the 300, and the strategic pass".

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 (full free textbook) — OpenStax — Rice University (https://openstax.org/details/books/world-history-volume-1)
  • Article: World History Encyclopedia — search — World History Encyclopedia (https://www.worldhistory.org/)

Math

50 min

Find the whole given a part and a percent.

Learning target: I can find the whole given a part and a percent.

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 "Find the whole given a part and a percent" 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 find the whole given a part and a percent." 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 — 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

Vocabulary: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme.

Learning target: I can read and write about vocabulary: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme.

Step-by-step

  1. Bell-ringer (5 min): a sentence-level grammar warm-up or quick-write prompt.
  2. Read-aloud / shared reading (12 min): "Vocabulary: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme" — students follow along and annotate.
  3. Discussion (10 min): turn-and-talk on a focus question, then share out with text evidence.
  4. Writing (15 min): students respond in writer's notebook — one paragraph minimum, citing the text.
  5. Share (3 min): two volunteers read a sentence they're proud of.

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 "Vocabulary: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme".

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

Vocab: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme

Resources to teach from

  • Interactive / simulation: Vocabulary.com — Grade 6 lists — Vocabulary.com (https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/?grade=6)
  • Textbook / OER reading: Online Etymology Dictionary — etymonline.com (https://www.etymonline.com/)
  • 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

Daily phototropism observation; record bend angle.

Learning target: I can daily phototropism observation.

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
  2. Together (10 min): Daily phototropism observation.
  3. Independent practice (12 min): record bend angle..
  4. Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.

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 "Daily phototropism observation" on a sticky note.

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

Resources to teach from

  • 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

  • Calculator (optional)

ELA

  • Vocabulary notebook

Science

  • Graph paper for data

End-of-day reflection (student)

One thing I learned today:

One question I still have:

SixthGrade · Quarter 2 · Week 13 · WednesdayPrinted for classroom use

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