Grade 6 · Quarter 2 · Week 13
The Persian Empire & the Persian Wars
Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes; Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis.
Standards this week
- · 6.RP.A.3
- · 6.NS.C.5
- · RI.6.3
- · W.6.7
- · MS-LS1-5
- · C3 D2.His.4.6-8
Packet contents
- Daily lesson plans (Mon–Fri)
- Friday weekly review
- Parent digest summary
- Worksheets (2)
- Teacher answer keys (2)
Materials to gather before Monday
Sharpened pencil & eraser
Day's notebook (one section per subject)
Calculator (optional)
Anchor text or passage handout
Lab notebook
Vocabulary notebook
Graph paper for data
Timeline strip
Lined paper
Daily plans
Monday
The Persian Empire
| Social Studies | Cyrus the Great; satraps and the Royal Road; Zoroastrianism. |
|---|---|
| Math | Percent as ratio per 100 (6.RP.A.3); convert fractions ↔ percents. |
| ELA | Read on Cyrus; analyze how individuals shape events (RI.6.3). |
| Science | Plant response to gravity (gravitropism) — design a tilt test. |
Today's worksheets
- · [2C] Passage: Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension)
- · [Q2] Assessment: Q2 ELA Assessment
Tuesday
Marathon, 490 BCE
| Social Studies | The Battle of Marathon; the runner Pheidippides. |
|---|---|
| Math | Find the percent of a quantity; tax & tip basics. |
| ELA | Begin Herodotus excerpts; primary source vs. secondary source. |
| Science | Light direction & phototropism investigation setup. |
Today's worksheets
Wednesday
Thermopylae, 480 BCE
| Social Studies | Leonidas, the 300, and the strategic pass. |
|---|---|
| Math | Find the whole given a part and a percent. |
| ELA | Vocabulary: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme. |
| Science | Daily phototropism observation; record bend angle. |
Today's worksheets
Thursday
Salamis & Plataea
| Social Studies | Themistocles and the Athenian fleet; Greek alliance victory. |
|---|---|
| Math | Percent increase/decrease with negative-number framing. |
| ELA | Mini-research: choose one Persian War battle (W.6.7). |
| Science | Compare gravitropism vs. phototropism evidence. |
Today's worksheets
Friday
After the Wars
| Social Studies | Delian League → Athenian Empire; tensions sown for later war. |
|---|---|
| Math | Mixed practice: percent and rate problems. |
| ELA | Publish mini-research with a 'works cited' line. |
| Science | Lab journal sync; what variables affected results? |
Today's worksheets
Friday weekly review
Theme: River-valley civilizations & ratios
- Social Studies
- Name one geographic feature studied this week and explain how it shaped the people who lived there.
- Math
- Show one worked example from this week's standard and write a one-sentence rule in your own words.
- ELA
- Pull one sentence from the anchor text that surprised you. Explain why in 2–3 sentences.
- Science
- Describe one observation from a model, lab, or diagram and the question it raised.
Big question
How did this week's science or math concept change how you understand the civilization or text we studied?
For the family
Short summary of this week to share with your child and the rest of the household. Print and post on the fridge.
ELA
"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 Cyrus"."
Vocab to use at dinner: tyranny, hoplite, phalanx, trireme
Math
"Ask your child to teach you tonight's idea in 60 seconds: "Show me one example of percent as ratio per 100." Teaching it back is the fastest way to lock it in."
Science
"Ask: "What did you observe today, and what do you think it means?" Encourage your child to draw a labeled sketch of "Plant response to gravity (gravitropism) — design a tilt test" on a sticky note."
Social Studies
"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 "Cyrus the Great"."
Worksheets (2)
- [2C] ELA · Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension)
- [Q2] ELA · Q2 ELA Assessment
ELA · G6-ELA-PKG
2C
Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension)
Standards: RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.6
__________________
Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions below in complete sentences.
ELA · G6-ELA-PKG
Q2
Q2 ELA Assessment
Standards: RL.6.2, RL.6.6, RI.6.3, W.6.1, L.6.2, L.6.4
__________________ Score: _____ / 20
Part 1: Reading comprehension (6 points)
Read the excerpt below before answering.
Teacher section — remove before giving to student
Answer keys
2 of 2 items have keys on file.
Answer key · ELA
2C: Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension)
Teacher copy
1. Central idea: Athens created the world's first democracy in 508 BCE; though limited by modern standards, it shaped political thinking ever since. (Cite: "the Athenian experiment shaped everything that came after.")
2. Demokratia --- "power of the people."
3. Sample: Adult male citizens attended the Assembly; voted by raising hands; could be chosen by lottery for office; juries decided cases.
4. Women, slaves, and foreigners could not vote --- perhaps 85% of the population was excluded; only adult male citizens participated.
5. Pericles: "Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves." The author uses this to show Athenian pride and how the city saw itself as original.
6. The author admires the Athenian experiment but also takes a balanced view, acknowledging both its limits and its lasting influence.
Answer key · ELA
Q2: Q2 ELA Assessment
Teacher copy
1. The Athenian Assembly gave political voice to ordinary citizens --- and they treasured it.
2. Sample: "Men climbed the hill from across the city --- farmers, sailors, shopkeepers --- to debate the next war" --- shows the diversity of who could speak.
3. Sample: "It was the most precious thing they had built" --- clearly admiring.
4. Sample theme: Fate cannot be escaped. Cite a passage involving the gods or prophecy.
5. Sutcliff's omniscient narrator sees what no single character can --- the gods' plans, the long arc, the consequences. This gives the war epic and tragic weight.
6. Democracy = rule by the people.
7. Metis = cunning / clever thinking; Odysseus exemplifies it through the Trojan Horse.
8. Incensed = angered, made furious.
9. "Where is the eagle?" asked Marcus.
10. The gift was for him and me.
11. Sample: Both heroic and democratic ideals depend on the courage of individuals --- heroes in battle, citizens in the Assembly. Both require people to choose to act for something larger than themselves, even at personal cost.
Mid-Year ELA Final Assessment