Monday — The Persian Empire
Social Studies
40 minCyrus the Great; satraps and the Royal Road; Zoroastrianism.
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
- Together (10 min): Cyrus the Great.
- Together (12 min): satraps and the Royal Road.
- Independent practice (14 min): Zoroastrianism..
- 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 "Cyrus the Great".
Homework
Read tonight's textbook section (10–15 min) and add three new facts to your notebook timeline.
Resources & materials to teach from (2)Hide resources
- 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 minPercent as ratio per 100 (6.RP.A.3); convert fractions ↔ percents.
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
- Together (10 min): Percent as ratio per 100.
- Independent practice (12 min): convert fractions ↔ percents..
- Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.
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 percent as ratio per 100." 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 Mathematics 6 — Unit 2 'Introducing Ratios'· Textbook / OER reading · Illustrative Math (OER, CC-BY)
Free open curriculum — use the day's task as your worked example.
- Intro to ratios (5 min)· Video · Khan Academy — 6th grade
- Ratio practice set (adaptive)· Interactive / simulation · Khan Academy
- Illustrative Mathematics 6 — Unit 4 'Dividing Fractions'· Textbook / OER reading · Illustrative Math
- Dividing fractions by fractions (visual)· 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 Cyrus; analyze how individuals shape events (RI.6.3).
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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 Cyrus.
- Independent practice (12 min): analyze how individuals shape events (RI.6.3)..
- 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 Cyrus".
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
45 minPlant response to gravity (gravitropism) — design a tilt test.
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Learning target
Lesson flow
- Phenomenon (5 min): show an image, video, or demo and ask, "What do you notice? What do you wonder?"
- Mini-lesson (10 min): teacher introduces the science of "Plant response to gravity (gravitropism) — design a tilt test" with a labeled diagram.
- Investigation (20 min): students gather data — observe, measure, model, or run the lab.
- Sense-making (8 min): students record a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning response in the lab notebook.
- Share-out (2 min): one group presents data; class compares results.
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 "Plant response to gravity (gravitropism) — design a tilt test" on a sticky note.
Homework
Finish lab notebook entry (sketch + CER paragraph) if not done in class.
Resources & materials to teach from (4)Hide resources
- PhET — Forces and Motion: Basics· Interactive / simulation · PhET
- Newton's Laws (Crash Course Kids)· Video · Crash Course Kids #19.1
- 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)
Math
- Calculator (optional)
ELA
- Anchor text or passage handout