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3 worksheets · 2 answer keysPlan only

Grade 6 · Quarter 4 · Week 33

T'ang & Song China — The World's Most Advanced Civilization

Paper, gunpowder, the compass, movable type.

Standards this week

  • · 6.RP.A.3
  • · 6.SP.B.5
  • · RI.6.7
  • · W.6.7
  • · MS-LS3-2
  • · C3 D2.His.16.6-8

Packet contents

  1. Daily lesson plans (Mon–Fri)
  2. Friday weekly review
  3. Parent digest summary
  4. Worksheets (3)
  5. Teacher answer keys (2)

Materials to gather before Monday

Sharpened pencil & eraser

Day's notebook (one section per subject)

Vocabulary notebook

Lab notebook

Sketching pencils & ruler

Timeline strip

Calculator (optional)

Lined paper

SixthGrade · Binder packetPrint once Monday morning — file in the week's tab

Daily plans

Monday

Tang Dynasty Brilliance

Social StudiesReunification under Tang; Chang'an as world's largest city.
MathPopulation data: compare Chang'an, Constantinople, Baghdad.
ELAIntegrate text + maps on Tang trade (RI.6.7).
ScienceVariation in offspring — sexual reproduction (MS-LS3-2).

Tuesday

Song Innovation

Social StudiesMovable type, magnetic compass, paper money, gunpowder.
MathData sets: rank Chinese inventions by impact.
ELAVocabulary: dynasty, civil service, calligraphy, porcelain.
ScienceInvestigation: model genetic recombination with cards.

Today's worksheets

    Wednesday

    Civil Service Exams

    Social StudiesConfucian texts as the gateway to government service.
    MathPercent of population literate vs. taking exams.
    ELAPlan mini-research: choose one Chinese invention (W.6.7).
    ScienceWhy variation matters: disease resistance in crops.

    Today's worksheets

    • · [Writing 3A] Writing prompt: Comparative Informative Essay
    • · [Writing 4] Writing prompt: Year-End Research Report (capstone)
    • · [Q4] Assessment: Q4 ELA Assessment

    Thursday

    Tea, Silk, & Porcelain

    Social StudiesGoods that connected China to the world.
    MathTrade ratios: silk per gold across centuries.
    ELADraft mini-research; cite at least two sources.
    ScienceCompare twin studies: identical vs. fraternal twins.

    Today's worksheets

      Friday

      Why China Was 'Ahead'

      Social StudiesCompare with European tech of the same era.
      MathMixed practice: data and percent.
      ELAPublish mini-research; share aloud.
      ScienceMini-quiz on variation; 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 "Integrate text + maps on Tang trade"."

        Vocab to use at dinner: dynasty, civil service, calligraphy, porcelain

        Math

        "Ask your child to teach you tonight's idea in 60 seconds: "Show me one example of population data: compare Chang'an, Constantinople, Baghdad." 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 "Variation in offspring — sexual reproduction" on a sticky note."

        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 "Reunification under Tang"."

        Worksheets (3)

        1. [Writing 3A] ELA · Comparative Informative Essay
        2. [Writing 4] ELA · Year-End Research Report (capstone)
        3. [Q4] ELA · Q4 ELA Assessment

        ELA · G6-ELA-PKG

        Writing 3A

        Comparative Informative Essay

        Standards: W.6.2, W.6.7·Time: 4–5 days

        Name:  
        Date:  
        Score:  

        __________________

        Prompt:

        Write a multi-paragraph informative essay (5--6 paragraphs) titled: "Roman and Han Chinese Engineering: A Comparison." Use Reading Passage 3C and at least one other source.

        Requirements:

        • Introduction that frames the comparison and states a clear thesis.

        • At least one body paragraph on Roman engineering (use Reading Passage 3C).

        • At least one body paragraph on Han Chinese engineering (research a second source).

        • A paragraph comparing the two --- what is shared, what is different.

        • A conclusion that reflects on what we can learn from both.

        • Cite at least two sources at the end of the essay.

        Use the 4-Point Writing Rubric.

        ELA · G6-ELA-PKG

        Writing 4

        Year-End Research Report (capstone)

        Standards: W.6.2, W.6.7, W.6.8·Time: 3–4 weeks

        Name:  
        Date:  
        Score:  

        __________________

        Prompt:

        Conduct a short research project and write a 4--6 page research report on ONE scholar, ONE field, or ONE discovery from the Islamic Golden Age (roughly 750--1258 CE). Suggested topics:

        • Ibn al-Haytham and the science of optics.

        • Al-Khwarizmi and the development of algebra.

        • Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and the Canon of Medicine.

        • The translators of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.

        • The astronomers of Maragheh (e.g., Nasir al-Din al-Tusi).

        • Al-Razi (Rhazes) and medical innovation.

        • Cordoba's library and its scholars (Andalusian Spain).

        Requirements:

        • Use at least three sources. At least one must be a print book or scholarly article (not just a website).

        • Cite all sources at the end of the report (basic citation format: author, title, publisher, date).

        • An introduction that presents the topic and your central claim.

        • Body paragraphs organized around clear subtopics.

        • Direct quotations from at least two sources.

        • A conclusion that explains why this person or topic matters today.

        • The report must be your own writing --- not summaries copied from sources.

        Year-End Research Rubric (4-point)

        Dimension 4 --- 3 --- Meets 2 --- 1 --- Exceeds Developing Beginning

        Research depth 5+ sources, 3 sources used Sources used Few sources; including substantively; but thinly; topic primary sources topic topic only superficially or scholarly well-covered. partially covered. works; original developed.
        analysis.

        Argument & Strong original Clear thesis; Thesis unclear No clear analysis thesis; analysis or thesis; pure analysis goes present; goes undeveloped; summary. beyond summary. beyond summary. mostly
        summary.

        Citation & All sources Sources cited; Citations Citations evidence cited direct quotes incomplete; missing or correctly; present. few quotes. incorrect. multiple direct
        quotes
        integrated
        smoothly.

        Conventions Polished prose; Few errors; Several Many errors almost no clear prose. errors; uneven that interrupt errors. prose. meaning.

        ELA · G6-ELA-PKG

        Q4

        Q4 ELA Assessment

        Standards: RL.6.2, RI.6.2, W.6.7, L.6.2

        Name:  
        Date:  
        Score:  

        __________________ Score: _____ / 20

        Part 1: Reading comprehension (6 points)

        Read this excerpt.

        Teacher section — remove before giving to student

        Answer keys

        2 of 3 items have keys on file.

        Answer key · ELA

        Writing 4: Year-End Research Report (capstone)

        Teacher copy

        Student research papers will vary widely. Score against the Year-End Research Rubric (4-point):

        • Research depth: number and quality of sources, originality of analysis.

        • Argument & analysis: clarity of thesis, depth beyond summary.

        • Citation & evidence: correctness and integration of quotations.

        • Conventions: spelling, grammar, formatting.

        Answer key · ELA

        Q4: Q4 ELA Assessment

        Teacher copy

        1. 9th-century Baghdad was a cosmopolitan center where many cultures and forms of knowledge met.

        2. Sample: "Its markets sold silks from China, spices from India, slaves from Eastern Europe, gold from West Africa"; "Its scholars debated in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac."

        3. Baghdad combined Greek philosophy, Persian astronomy, Indian mathematics, and Chinese papermaking, transforming them into something new.

        4. Sample theme: curiosity opens the world. Cite a specific passage.

        5. The text describes the rich world of 9th-century Baghdad; the illustrations show it with layered Arabic calligraphy and Persian-influenced art. Together they make the world feel immediate and real.

        6. Algorithm = a step-by-step procedure. Named after al-Khwarizmi, a 9th-century Persian mathematician who worked in Baghdad.

        7. Sample: algebra, sugar, cotton, coffee, zero.

        8. Legacy = something inherited from the past.

        9. Although Baghdad was wealthy, it was also a center of learning.

        10. Colon --- "He wrote three major works: on optics, astronomy, and mathematics."

        11. Sample: Medieval Islamic scholars are an important part of the history of modern science because they preserved Greek learning, extended Indian and Persian mathematics, and developed new methods like the experimental approach of Ibn al-Haytham's Book of Optics. Their translations and original work shaped European science for centuries --- Newton himself relied on principles Ibn al-Haytham had established six hundred years earlier.

        Year-End ELA Final Assessment

        SixthGrade · Quarter 4 · Week 33 · Binder packetsixthgrader.org

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