Grade 6 · Quarter 4 · Week 31
Early Medieval Europe — Charlemagne to the Vikings
After Rome: kingdoms, monasteries, and longships.
Standards this week
- · 6.RP.A.3
- · 6.G.A.1
- · RL.6.2
- · W.6.3
- · MS-LS2-5
- · C3 D2.His.4.6-8
Packet contents
- Daily lesson plans (Mon–Fri)
- Friday weekly review
- Parent digest summary
- Worksheets (4)
- Teacher answer keys (3)
Materials to gather before Monday
Sharpened pencil & eraser
Day's notebook (one section per subject)
Outline map & colored pencils
Ruler
Anchor text or passage handout
Timeline strip
Vocabulary notebook
Lab notebook
Sketching pencils & ruler
Primary-source handout
Lined paper
Daily plans
Monday
Successor Kingdoms
| Social Studies | Franks, Visigoths, Anglo-Saxons fill the post-Roman map. |
|---|---|
| Math | Area of irregular polygons; map kingdoms by area. |
| ELA | Read Beowulf excerpts; identify theme (RL.6.2). |
| Science | Maintaining biodiversity & ecosystem services (MS-LS2-5). |
Today's worksheets
- · [1A] Reading: Reading Response: The Golden Goblet (early chapters)
- · [Q1] Assessment: Q1 ELA Assessment
- · [2B] Reading: Reading Response: Black Ships Before Troy (late chapters)
- · [Writing 2B] Writing prompt: Theme Analysis
Tuesday
Charlemagne
| Social Studies | Carolingian Renaissance; crowned 800 CE; literacy revival. |
|---|---|
| Math | Coordinate-plane polygons: map Carolingian Empire on a grid. |
| ELA | Vocabulary: feudal, monastery, scriptorium, illuminate. |
| Science | Investigation: build a 'pollinator-friendly' garden plan. |
Today's worksheets
Wednesday
Monasteries & Manuscripts
| Social Studies | Benedictine rule; preserving books in scriptoria. |
|---|---|
| Math | Ratio of monks to books copied per year — productivity problems. |
| ELA | Begin a 'day in a monastery' narrative (W.6.3). |
| Science | Ecosystem services: pollination, water filtration, climate. |
Today's worksheets
Thursday
Vikings on the Move
| Social Studies | Longships, raiding & trading; Newfoundland to Constantinople. |
|---|---|
| Math | Mixed practice: area and ratio. |
| ELA | Continue narrative; sensory details and dialogue. |
| Science | Biodiversity loss case study: bee decline. |
Today's worksheets
Friday
Norman Conquest, 1066
| Social Studies | Battle of Hastings; Norman French shapes English forever. |
|---|---|
| Math | Area & ratio cumulative practice. |
| ELA | Revise narrative; share aloud. |
| Science | Quick-quiz on biodiversity; portfolio entry. |
Today's worksheets
Friday weekly review
Theme: Trade, exchange, and statistics
- 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 Beowulf excerpts"."
Vocab to use at dinner: feudal, monastery, scriptorium, illuminate
Math
"Ask your child to teach you tonight's idea in 60 seconds: "Show me one example of area of irregular polygons." 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 "Maintaining biodiversity & ecosystem services" on a sticky note."
Vocab to use at dinner: pollination, water filtration, climate
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 "Franks, Visigoths, Anglo-Saxons fill the post-Roman map"."
Worksheets (4)
- [1A] ELA · Reading Response: The Golden Goblet (early chapters)
- [Q1] ELA · Q1 ELA Assessment
- [2B] ELA · Reading Response: Black Ships Before Troy (late chapters)
- [Writing 2B] ELA · Theme Analysis
ELA · G6-ELA-PKG
1A
Reading Response: The Golden Goblet (early chapters)
Standards: RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3
__________________
After reading the early chapters of The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, answer the following questions in full sentences. Cite specific textual evidence whenever asked.
1. Who is Ranofer, and what is his situation at the beginning of the novel? Cite one specific detail from the text. (RL.6.1)
2. Describe Ranofer's relationship with his half-brother Gebu. How does Gebu treat him? Quote one passage that shows this clearly. (RL.6.1, RL.6.3)
3. What does Ranofer dream of becoming? What stands in his way? (RL.6.3)
4. What is the "glint of gold" Ranofer notices, and why does it trouble him? (RL.6.3)
5. What do you think McGraw is suggesting about courage or honesty in this early section? Identify one passage that supports your interpretation. (RL.6.2)
6. How does the setting --- ancient Egypt under the New Kingdom --- shape the events of the story? Cite one specific detail. (RL.6.3)
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
2B
Reading Response: Black Ships Before Troy (late chapters)
Standards: RL.6.2, RL.6.6
__________________
After reading the later chapters (Achilles' anger, Hector's death, the Trojan Horse, the fall of Troy), answer the following.
1. Why does Achilles withdraw from the fighting? What changes when his friend Patroclus dies? Cite specific evidence. (RL.6.3, RL.6.1)
2. Hector's death is one of the most moving moments in the novel. How does Sutcliff develop emotional power in that scene? Quote one passage. (RL.6.3, RL.6.4)
3. The Trojan Horse is an example of how cunning can defeat strength. What does this episode suggest about the Greek hero ideal? (RL.6.2)
4. Compare the start of the novel (the Judgment of Paris) with the end (the fall of Troy). How does that structure reinforce one of the novel's major themes? (RL.6.5, RL.6.2)
5. Sutcliff sometimes describes the Greek camp in great detail. Why might she pause the action this way? What does the description add? (RL.6.3, RL.6.5)
6. In your view, who is the most tragic figure in the novel? Defend your answer with at least one specific passage. (RL.6.1, W.6.1)
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.
-
Body paragraphs each focused on one episode. Quote at least one passage per paragraph.
-
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 4 items have keys on file.
Answer key · ELA
1A: Reading Response: The Golden Goblet (early chapters)
Teacher copy
Sample answers; student wording will vary.
1. Ranofer is a young Egyptian boy whose father has died. He lives with his cruel half-brother Gebu and works in a goldsmith's shop, but is treated as a servant rather than apprentice.
2. Gebu is harsh, abusive, and exploitative. He keeps Ranofer in poverty and prevents him from pursuing his dream. (Students should cite a specific passage showing this.)
3. Ranofer dreams of becoming a goldsmith. Gebu and his own poverty stand in the way.
4. Ranofer notices Gebu hiding gold --- gold that Gebu has stolen. It troubles Ranofer because he realizes his brother is a thief.
5. Sample theme: Honesty and courage often require taking great risks against more powerful people. (Students should support with a passage showing Ranofer's moral struggle.)
6. The ancient Egyptian setting --- temples, markets, goldsmiths' shops --- shapes both the daily life of the characters and the moral framework (the importance of work, family, and ma'at, the Egyptian sense of order).
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
Answer key · ELA
2B: Reading Response: Black Ships Before Troy (late chapters)
Teacher copy
Sample answers; student wording will vary widely. Look for textual evidence and clear analysis.
1. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Hera offers power; Athena offers wisdom (or victory in battle); Aphrodite offers the most beautiful woman.
2. Paris's choice reveals he values beauty over power and wisdom --- he is impulsive and shaped by appetite, not duty. Students should cite a passage.
3. The third-person omniscient narrator knows what gods feel, what is happening in many places at once, and the long arc of fate. This lets us see causes the characters cannot.
4. Sample: "black ships," "wine-dark sea," and other Homeric phrases (which Sutcliff borrows). Or a simile comparing a hero to a lion. Each suggests the elevated, mythic register of the tale.
5. Sample themes: the cost of glory; fate as inescapable; the destructive power of pride. Students should cite an opening passage.
6. Sample: Greek heroes (Achilles, Odysseus) are described as fierce, swift, and proud; Trojan heroes (Hector, Aeneas) are described as more measured, with family responsibilities. Both sides have honor.