Grade 6 · Quarter 2 · Week 17 · Monday

Philip II & the Macedonian Phalanx

Alexander the Great & the Hellenistic World — From Macedonia to the Indus; cultural blending across three continents.

Week standards: 6.G.A.1 · 6.G.A.4 · RI.6.3 · W.6.2 · MS-LS2-1 · C3 D2.Geo.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

How Macedonia rose; the long sarissa and the new phalanx.

Learning target: I can how Macedonia rose.

Step-by-step

Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
Together (10 min): How Macedonia rose.
Independent practice (12 min): the long sarissa and the new phalanx..
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 "How Macedonia rose".

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

Surface area using nets — rectangular prisms (6.G.A.4).

Learning target: I can surface area using nets — rectangular prisms (6.

Step-by-step

Number talk (5 min): mental-math warm-up tied to today's concept.
Mini-lesson (12 min): worked example of "Surface area using nets — rectangular prisms" 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: 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 surface area using nets — rectangular prisms." 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 Math 6 — Unit 1 & Unit 5 (Geometry) — Illustrative Math (https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/students/1/1/index.html)
Interactive / simulation: Area Builder (free sim) — PhET — University of Colorado (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/area-builder)
Interactive / simulation: Polyhedra net explorer — NCTM Illuminations (https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Geometric-Solids/)
Textbook / OER reading: Illustrative Mathematics — Grade 6 (free, CCSS-aligned) — Illustrative Math (Kendall Hunt OER) (https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/students/1/index.html)

ELA

45 min

Read on Philip & Alexander; how individuals shape events (RI.6.3).

Learning target: I can read on Philip & Alexander.

Step-by-step

Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
Together (10 min): Read on Philip & Alexander.
Independent practice (12 min): how individuals shape events (RI.6.3)..
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 on Philip & Alexander".

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

Predator-prey relationships; model with hare/lynx data.

Learning target: I can investigate predator-prey relationships.

Step-by-step

Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
Together (10 min): Predator-prey relationships.
Independent practice (12 min): model with hare/lynx data..
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 "Predator-prey relationships" 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)

Social Studies

Timeline strip

Math

Ruler

ELA

Passage: Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension) [2C]
Assessment: Q2 ELA Assessment [Q2]
Anchor text or passage handout

Science

Graph paper for data
Sketching pencils & ruler

End-of-day reflection (student)

One thing I learned today:

One question I still have: