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Grade 6 · Quarter 2 · Week 17 · Wednesday

Alexandria & Hellenistic Cities

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

The Library, the Pharos, Greek language as a lingua franca.

Learning target: I can the Library, the Pharos, Greek language as a lingua franca.

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 "The Library, the Pharos, Greek language as a lingua franca" 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 "The Library, the Pharos, Greek language as a lingua franca".

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 — Ch. 6 'Mediterranean Peoples' — OpenStax (https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-1/pages/6-introduction)
  • Primary source: Pericles' Funeral Oration (translated) — Internet Ancient History Sourcebook (Fordham) (https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.asp)
  • Interactive / simulation: Acropolis 360° tour — Google Arts & Culture (https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-acropolis-of-athens/9wWh1lzd92zuJg)
  • Video: Athens vs. Sparta (12 min) — Crash Course World History #5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIqW7Ged9zE)

Math

50 min

Surface area of pyramids; net practice.

Learning target: I can surface area of pyramids.

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
  2. Together (10 min): Surface area of pyramids.
  3. Independent practice (12 min): net practice..
  4. Closure (5 min): students name one thing they learned and one question they still have.

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 of pyramids." 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

Plan informative essay: 'Why was Alexandria important?' (W.6.2).

Learning target: I can plan informative essay: 'Why was Alexandria important?' (W.

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): "Plan informative essay: 'Why was Alexandria important?'" — 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 "Plan informative essay: 'Why was Alexandria important?'".

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

Resources to teach from

  • Article: ReadWorks — Grade 6 informational passages — ReadWorks (free) (https://www.readworks.org/)
  • Article: Newsela — Grade 6 leveled news (free tier) — Newsela (https://newsela.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

Symbiosis types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism.

Learning target: I can symbiosis types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism.

Step-by-step

  1. Phenomenon (5 min): show an image, video, or demo and ask, "What do you notice? What do you wonder?"
  2. Mini-lesson (10 min): teacher introduces the science of "Symbiosis types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism" with a labeled diagram.
  3. Investigation (20 min): students gather data — observe, measure, model, or run the lab.
  4. Sense-making (8 min): students record a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning response in the lab notebook.
  5. Share-out (2 min): one group presents data; class compares results.

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 "Symbiosis types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism" on a sticky note.

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

Vocab: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

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

  • Ruler

ELA

  • Writing prompt: Informative Essay [Writing 1] · 3–4 days
  • Assessment: Q1 ELA Assessment [Q1]
  • Writing prompt: Theme Analysis [Writing 2B] · 3–4 days
  • Lined paper

End-of-day reflection (student)

One thing I learned today:

One question I still have:

SixthGrade · Quarter 2 · Week 17 · WednesdayPrinted for classroom use

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