Skip to main content
6SixthGrade
Back to Week 29
Caregiver handoff

Grade 6 · Quarter 4 · Week 29 · Wednesday

The Five Pillars

Rise of Islam — Muhammad & the Early Caliphates — The Five Pillars and the rapid spread of a new faith.

Week standards: 6.RP.A.3 · 6.SP.B.5 · RI.6.3 · RI.6.6 · MS-LS4-4 · 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

Shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, hajj — the framework of Muslim life.

Learning target: I can explain shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, hajj — the framework of Muslim life.

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 "Shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, hajj — the framework of Muslim life" 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 "Shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, hajj — the framework of Muslim life".

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. 11 'The Rise of Islam' — OpenStax (https://openstax.org/books/world-history-volume-1/pages/11-introduction)
  • Article: Islamic Golden Age — overview — World History Encyclopedia (https://www.worldhistory.org/Islamic_Golden_Age/)
  • Video: Islam, the Quran, and the Five Pillars (11 min) — Crash Course World History #13 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpcbfxtdoI8)
  • Textbook / OER reading: OpenStax World History Vol. 1 (full free textbook) — OpenStax — Rice University (https://openstax.org/details/books/world-history-volume-1)

Math

50 min

Percent of zakat (2.5%) calculation problems.

Learning target: I can percent of zakat (2.

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 "Percent of zakat (2" 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 percent of zakat (2." 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 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

Compare two short accounts of early Islam (RI.6.6).

Learning target: I can compare two short accounts of early Islam.

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): "Compare two short accounts of early Islam (RI" — 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 "Compare two short accounts of early Islam (RI".

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

Antibiotic resistance as modern natural selection.

Learning target: I can antibiotic resistance as modern natural selection.

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 "Antibiotic resistance as modern natural selection" 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 "Antibiotic resistance as modern natural selection" 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)

Math

  • Calculator (optional)

ELA

  • Passage: Reading Passage: Mesopotamian Scribal Culture (with comprehension) [1B]
  • Passage: Reading Passage: Democracy in Athens (with comprehension) [2C]
  • Passage: Reading Passage: Ibn al-Haytham and the Science of Optics (with comprehension) [4B]

End-of-day reflection (student)

One thing I learned today:

One question I still have:

SixthGrade · Quarter 4 · Week 29 · WednesdayPrinted for classroom use

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