Grade 6 · Quarter 2 · Week 17
Alexander the Great & the Hellenistic World
From Macedonia to the Indus; cultural blending across three continents.
Standards this week
- · 6.G.A.1
- · 6.G.A.4
- · RI.6.3
- · W.6.2
- · MS-LS2-1
- · C3 D2.Geo.5.6-8
Packet contents
- Daily lesson plans (Mon–Fri)
- Friday weekly review
- Parent digest summary
- Worksheets (5)
- Teacher answer keys (3)
Materials to gather before Monday
Sharpened pencil & eraser
Day's notebook (one section per subject)
Timeline strip
Ruler
Anchor text or passage handout
Graph paper for data
Sketching pencils & ruler
Outline map & colored pencils
Vocabulary notebook
Lab notebook
Lined paper
Daily plans
Monday
Philip II & the Macedonian Phalanx
| Social Studies | How Macedonia rose; the long sarissa and the new phalanx. |
|---|---|
| Math | Surface area using nets — rectangular prisms (6.G.A.4). |
| ELA | Read on Philip & Alexander; how individuals shape events (RI.6.3). |
| Science | Predator-prey relationships; model with hare/lynx data. |
Today's worksheets
- · [2C] Passage: Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension)
- · [Q2] Assessment: Q2 ELA Assessment
Tuesday
Alexander's Conquests
| Social Studies | From Granicus to the Hydaspes; map Alexander's empire. |
|---|---|
| Math | Surface area of triangular prisms via nets. |
| ELA | Vocabulary: empire, conquest, syncretism, Hellenistic. |
| Science | Investigation: graph predator-prey cycles; identify oscillation. |
Today's worksheets
Wednesday
Alexandria & Hellenistic Cities
| Social Studies | The Library, the Pharos, Greek language as a lingua franca. |
|---|---|
| Math | Surface area of pyramids; net practice. |
| ELA | Plan informative essay: 'Why was Alexandria important?' (W.6.2). |
| Science | Symbiosis types: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism. |
Today's worksheets
- · [Writing 1] Writing prompt: Informative Essay
- · [Q1] Assessment: Q1 ELA Assessment
- · [Writing 2B] Writing prompt: Theme Analysis
Thursday
Cultural Blending
| Social Studies | Greco-Buddhist art at Gandhara; mathematics from East to West. |
|---|---|
| Math | Mixed surface-area problems with composite shapes. |
| ELA | Draft body paragraphs of the informative essay. |
| Science | Build a food web from a Mediterranean ecosystem. |
Today's worksheets
Friday
Alexander's Legacy
| Social Studies | Why Alexander matters; what he did and didn't accomplish. |
|---|---|
| Math | Mixed practice: area & surface area. |
| ELA | Revise informative essay; conventions check. |
| Science | Ecosystem mini-quiz; portfolio entry. |
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 Philip & Alexander"."
Vocab to use at dinner: empire, conquest, syncretism, Hellenistic
Math
"Ask your child to teach you tonight's idea in 60 seconds: "Show me one example of surface area using nets — rectangular prisms (6." 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 "Predator-prey relationships" on a sticky note."
Vocab to use at dinner: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism
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 "How Macedonia rose"."
Worksheets (5)
- [2C] ELA · Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension)
- [Q2] ELA · Q2 ELA Assessment
- [Writing 1] ELA · Informative Essay
- [Q1] ELA · Q1 ELA Assessment
- [Writing 2B] ELA · Theme Analysis
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.
ELA · G6-ELA-PKG
Writing 1
Informative Essay
Standards: W.6.2·Time: 3–4 days
__________________
Prompt:
Write a multi-paragraph informative essay (4--5 paragraphs) titled: "Three Things to Know About Mesopotamian Scribes."
Requirements:
-
An introduction with a thesis statement that previews the three things you will discuss.
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Three body paragraphs, each focused on one of the three things, with at least one specific fact per paragraph.
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A conclusion that briefly summarizes and ends with a thought-provoking observation.
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Use at least 2 facts from Reading Passage 1B ("Scribes of Mesopotamia") and cite them.
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Smooth transitions between paragraphs.
Use the 4-Point Writing Rubric from the front of this package. You will be scored on Ideas, Organization, Evidence, and Conventions.
ELA · G6-ELA-PKG
Q1
Q1 ELA Assessment
Standards: RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RI.6.2, L.6.1, L.6.4, W.6.2
__________________ Score: _____ / 20
Part 1: Reading comprehension (5 points)
Re-read this short excerpt before answering.
ELA · G6-ELA-PKG
Writing 2B
Theme Analysis
Standards: W.6.2, RL.6.2·Time: 3–4 days
__________________
Prompt:
Choose one major theme from Black Ships Before Troy (suggestions: the cost of glory, the power of fate, the limits of strength, the meaning of homecoming). Write a 3--4 paragraph informative essay explaining how Sutcliff develops this theme across the novel.
Requirements:
-
Introduction that names the theme and previews two or three key episodes.
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Body paragraphs each focused on one episode. Quote at least one passage per paragraph.
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A conclusion that reflects on what the theme suggests about the ancient Greek world or about life today.
Use the 4-Point Writing Rubric.
Teacher section — remove before giving to student
Answer keys
3 of 5 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
Answer key · ELA
Q1: Q1 ELA Assessment
Teacher copy
1. The Mesopotamian scribe held the city's memory; without him, the city could not function.
2. "He recorded what grain came in, what went out, who owed what."
3. Sample: The author respects scribes --- phrases like "the careful pressing of wedges into clay" and "the city's past into the future" show admiration.
4. Sample theme: Honesty against power requires courage. Students should cite a passage showing Ranofer's moral dilemma about Gebu.
5. Gebu's harsh treatment forces Ranofer to be careful, hide his ambitions, and learn to act in secret --- shaping his moral choices throughout the novel.
6. Scripture = a sacred or important written text.
7. Democracy = rule (kratos) by the people (demos).
8. Student sentence; should correctly use a root-based word.
9. My brother and I went home.
10. Ranofer is the antecedent of "he."
11. Sample: Both Mesopotamian and Egyptian scribes spent years learning a difficult writing system, were trained in temple schools, and could rise to powerful positions like royal advisor or treasurer. Both civilizations valued literacy and used scribes to record economic and religious life.
Q2 --- Black Ships Before Troy and Ancient Greece