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Grade 6 · Quarter 3 · Week 25 · Wednesday

Buddhism in India & Sri Lanka

The Spread of Buddhism — From India along the Silk Road to East Asia.

Week standards: 6.RP.A.3 · 6.SP.B.5 · RL.6.2 · W.6.2 · MS-LS4-1 · C3 D2.His.14.6-8

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

Ashoka the Great; rock edicts; Buddhism becomes a missionary faith.

Learning target: I can ashoka the Great.

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
  2. Together (10 min): Ashoka the Great.
  3. Together (12 min): rock edicts.
  4. Independent practice (14 min): Buddhism becomes a missionary faith..
  5. 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 "Ashoka the Great".

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

Mean and median of grouped data.

Learning target: I can mean and median of grouped data.

Step-by-step

  1. Number talk (5 min): mental-math warm-up tied to today's concept.
  2. Mini-lesson (12 min): worked example of "Mean and median of grouped data" with the teacher modeling thinking out loud.
  3. We do (10 min): class works two problems together; students explain each step.
  4. You do (15 min): students try 4–6 problems independently or with a partner; teacher confers.
  5. 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 mean and median of grouped data." 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 8 'Data Sets & Distributions' — Illustrative Math (https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/students/1/8/index.html)
  • Interactive / simulation: Plop It! — build distributions — NCTM Illuminations (https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Plop-It!/)
  • Textbook / OER reading: Illustrative Mathematics — Grade 6 (free, CCSS-aligned) — Illustrative Math (Kendall Hunt OER) (https://im.kendallhunt.com/MS/students/1/index.html)
  • Video: Khan Academy — Grade 6 math — Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math)

ELA

45 min

Read an Ashoka edict (primary source); central idea (RI.6.2).

Learning target: I can read an Ashoka edict (primary source).

Step-by-step

  1. Warm-up (5 min): one-question opener tied to yesterday's lesson.
  2. Together (10 min): Read an Ashoka edict (primary source).
  3. Independent practice (12 min): central idea ..
  4. 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 an Ashoka edict (primary source)".

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

Compare ancient and modern organisms in fossil record.

Learning target: I can compare ancient and modern organisms in fossil record.

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 "Compare ancient and modern organisms in fossil record" 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 "Compare ancient and modern organisms in fossil record" 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 6.4 'Cells & Systems' (free unit) — OpenSciEd (https://www.openscied.org/instructional-materials/6-4-cells-and-systems/)
  • Interactive / simulation: Cell Explorer — virtual microscope — CELLS Alive (https://www.cellsalive.com/)
  • Video: Inside the Cell (5 min) — Amoeba Sisters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URUJD5NEXC8)
  • Textbook / OER reading: OpenSciEd — free NGSS middle-school units — OpenSciEd (https://www.openscied.org/access-the-materials/)

Materials & worksheet checklist

Bring every day

  • Sharpened pencil & eraser
  • Day's notebook (one section per subject)

Social Studies

  • Primary-source handout

ELA

  • Passage: Reading Passage: Mesopotamian Scribal Culture (with comprehension) [1B]
  • Assessment: Q1 ELA Assessment [Q1]
  • Passage: Reading Passage: Roman Engineering and the Aqueducts (with comprehension) [3C]
  • Assessment: Q3 ELA Assessment [Q3]
  • Anchor text or passage handout

Science

  • Graph paper for data

End-of-day reflection (student)

One thing I learned today:

One question I still have:

SixthGrade · Quarter 3 · Week 25 · WednesdayPrinted for classroom use

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