Grade 6
Build models, establish evidence habits and connect ideas.
32 lessons · 8 subjects · Suggested unit orderView Grade 6 curriculum map →Browse Grade 6 lessons →Middle School Curriculum Explorer · Grades 6–8
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Build understanding.
Explore a suggested progression, find a useful next lesson, and make the thinking visible. For parents, homeschool families, tutors and teachers.
96 original mini-lessons3 grades8 subjects
A starter map of selected skills, with practice and answers. Science and social studies sequences are suggested; electives and local requirements vary.
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Grade 7
Compare explanations, strengthen reasoning and revise with purpose.
32 lessons · 8 subjects · Suggested unit orderView Grade 7 curriculum map →Browse Grade 7 lessons →Grade 8
Synthesize evidence, evaluate alternatives and work more independently.
32 lessons · 8 subjects · Suggested unit orderView Grade 8 curriculum map →Browse Grade 8 lessons →Find a practical next step
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32 matching lessons
Clear filtersGrade 8 · 35 min
Mathematics
Unit 1 · Number magnitude and powers
Roots, Powers and Scientific Notation
Estimate an irrational length and communicate quantities using powers of ten.
Contributes to Common Core standard8.NS.A.2Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.EE.A.1Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.EE.A.4Grade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
Mathematics
Unit 2 · Functions and linear systems
Linear Functions in a Bike-Rental Model
Connect a table, graph and equation while distinguishing linear from nonlinear change.
Contributes to Common Core standard8.F.A.1Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.F.A.3Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.F.B.4Grade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
Mathematics
Unit 2 · Functions and linear systems
Systems for Two Ticket Types
Use two constraints to solve for two unknown ticket counts.
Contributes to Common Core standard8.EE.C.8.aGrade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.EE.C.8.cGrade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
Mathematics
Unit 3 · Geometry and bivariate evidence
Transformations, Congruence and Similarity
Track vertices through rigid motions and a dilation.
Contributes to Common Core standard8.G.A.2Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.G.A.3Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.G.A.4Grade 8
Grade 8 · 35 min
Mathematics
Unit 3 · Geometry and bivariate evidence
Right Triangles and Round Containers
Apply right-triangle reasoning and distinguish three round-solid volume formulas.
Contributes to Common Core standard8.G.B.7Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.G.C.9Grade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
Mathematics
Unit 3 · Geometry and bivariate evidence
Scatter Plots and Plant-Growth Models
Fit a simple line to paired measurements without claiming a causal result.
Contributes to Common Core standard8.SP.A.1Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.SP.A.2Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standard8.SP.A.3Grade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
English language arts
Unit 1 · Interpreting complexity
Dramatic Irony and a Hidden Letter
Choose the strongest evidence for an interpretation of a character’s mistaken belief.
Contributes to Common Core standardRL.8.1Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardRL.8.2Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardRL.8.6Grade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
English language arts
Unit 1 · Interpreting complexity
Paragraph Structure in a Shade Trial
Analyze how a writer qualifies an initial claim with comparison evidence and a limitation.
Contributes to Common Core standardRI.8.5Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardRI.8.6Grade 8
Grade 8 · 35 min
English language arts
Unit 2 · Independent writing decisions
Device Lockers: Weigh the Claim and Counterclaim
Distinguish relevant evidence from an impressive but unrelated fact in a policy argument.
Contributes to Common Core standardRI.8.8Grade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardW.8.1.aGrade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardW.8.1.cGrade 8
Grade 8 · 35 min
English language arts
Unit 2 · Independent writing decisions
Research Synthesis for a Community Archive
Weigh source authority, distinguish evidence from speculation and organize a bounded explanation.
Contributes to Common Core standardW.8.2.aGrade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardW.8.8Grade 8
Grade 8 · 35 min
English language arts
Unit 2 · Independent writing decisions
Revise a Narrative for a Deliberate Effect
Use pacing, reflection and a purposeful ending to reshape a short narrative.
Contributes to Common Core standardW.8.3.bGrade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardW.8.5Grade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
English language arts
Unit 3 · Voice and evidence-led decisions
Voice, Mood and a Qualified Decision
Choose active or passive voice deliberately and revise a group conclusion in light of evidence.
Contributes to Common Core standardL.8.3.aGrade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardL.8.4.aGrade 8
Contributes to Common Core standardSL.8.1.dGrade 8
Grade 8 · 30 min
Science
Unit 1 · Systems, Evidence and Variation
How Strong Is the Ecosystem Claim?
Evaluate an ecological argument using paired sites, time patterns and an alternative explanation.
Contributes to NGSS performance expectationMS-LS2-4Grades 6–8 band
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRST.6-8.8Grades 6–8
Selected NGSS band contribution; not complete performance expectation coverage.Grade 8 · 35 min
Science
Unit 1 · Systems, Evidence and Variation
Compare Two Ways of Passing on Information
Use chromosome-card models to contrast inheritance in sexual and asexual reproduction.
Contributes to NGSS performance expectationMS-LS3-2Grades 6–8 band
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRST.6-8.7Grades 6–8
Selected NGSS band contribution; not complete performance expectation coverage.Grade 8 · 30 min
Science
Unit 2 · Energy and Experimental Reasoning
Explain a Heating Plateau
Integrate a simple heating table with a particle model without treating all added energy as rising temperature.
Contributes to NGSS performance expectationMS-PS1-4Grades 6–8 band
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRST.6-8.7Grades 6–8
Selected NGSS band contribution; not complete performance expectation coverage.Grade 8 · 35 min
Science
Unit 2 · Energy and Experimental Reasoning
Audit a Force-and-Mass Investigation
Critique a flawed experimental report and redesign it for interpretable evidence.
Contributes to NGSS performance expectationMS-PS2-2Grades 6–8 band
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRST.6-8.1Grades 6–8
Selected NGSS band contribution; not complete performance expectation coverage.Grade 8 · 30 min
Science
Unit 3 · Earth Patterns and Design Decisions
Seasons Need a Tilted-Axis Model
Explain seasonal patterns through axis tilt, sunlight angle and day length.
Contributes to NGSS performance expectationMS-ESS1-1Grades 6–8 band
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRST.6-8.7Grades 6–8
Selected NGSS band contribution; not complete performance expectation coverage.Grade 8 · 35 min
Science
Unit 3 · Earth Patterns and Design Decisions
Choose and Improve a Stormwater Plan
Combine design constraints, uncertain results and monitoring in an environmental recommendation.
Contributes to NGSS performance expectationMS-ETS1-2Grades 6–8 band
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRST.6-8.7Grades 6–8
Selected NGSS band contribution; not complete performance expectation coverage.Grade 8 · 30 min
Social studies
Unit 1 · Patterns and Historical Claims
When Population Maps Tell Different Stories
Distinguish totals, rates and regional variation when interpreting population evidence.
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRH.6-8.7Grades 6–8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Social studies
Unit 1 · Patterns and Historical Claims
Test a Claim About the Emancipation Proclamation
Compare a primary document’s scope with a later explanatory account.
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRH.6-8.9Grades 6–8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 30 min
Social studies
Unit 2 · Rights and Government
What Did the Nineteenth Amendment Change?
Connect a constitutional rule to chronology while distinguishing legal protection from universal access.
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRH.6-8.2Grades 6–8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Social studies
Unit 2 · Rights and Government
Read a Federalism Claim Carefully
Use a constitutional clause and a hypothetical dispute to distinguish delegated powers from a complete legal answer.
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRH.6-8.1Grades 6–8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 30 min
Social studies
Unit 3 · Policy and Corroboration
A Budget Reveals Priorities
Evaluate a fictional public budget with explicit tradeoffs and an opposing argument.
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionWHST.6-8.1.bGrades 6–8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Social studies
Unit 3 · Policy and Corroboration
Three Accounts, How Many Sources?
Evaluate source dependence and explain what corroboration can and cannot establish.
Supporting Common Core literacy connectionRH.6-8.9Grades 6–8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Visual arts · Elective / rotation
Unit 1 · Visual Arguments and Critique
Design a Visual Message with Evidence
Use hierarchy and a simple data display to support a clearly limited message.
Supporting Common Core connectionSL.8.5Grade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Visual arts · Elective / rotation
Unit 1 · Visual Arguments and Critique
Defend a Curatorial Choice
Choose an artwork for a specific exhibition purpose and acknowledge a credible alternative.
Supporting Common Core connectionW.8.1.aGrade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 30 min
Music · Elective / rotation
Unit 1 · Interpretation and Arrangement
Explain How a Motif Changes Character
Compare versions of the same rhythm and explain how tempo and dynamics affect an intended interpretation.
Supporting Common Core connectionW.8.2.bGrade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Music · Elective / rotation
Unit 1 · Interpretation and Arrangement
Present an Arrangement with Purpose
Arrange two parts to make a returning motif clear and explain the decisions with an annotated score.
Supporting Common Core connectionSL.8.5Grade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 30 min
Health and physical education
Unit 1 · Tactical Decisions and Fair Evidence
Choose a Team Strategy Under Constraints
Use a fictional trial record to defend a strategy while acknowledging its tradeoffs and limits.
Supporting Common Core connectionW.8.1.bGrade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 30 min
Health and physical education
Unit 1 · Tactical Decisions and Fair Evidence
Question a Misleading Rule-Change Speech
Analyze a spoken argument that mixes useful evidence, an irrelevant detail and an unsupported universal claim.
Supporting Common Core connectionSL.8.3Grade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 35 min
Technology, computer science and digital literacy · Elective / rotation
Unit 1 · Data Decisions and Digital Claims
Audit a Rule-Based Sorting System
Trace a small automated rule and explain why its output depends on the data and criteria chosen.
Supporting Common Core connectionW.8.2.bGrade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verifiedGrade 8 · 30 min
Technology, computer science and digital literacy · Elective / rotation
Unit 1 · Data Decisions and Digital Claims
Compare Conflicting Digital-Service Claims
Distinguish a factual disagreement from a different interpretation of the same digital-service evidence.
Supporting Common Core connectionRI.8.9Grade 8
Subject-content alignment not yet verified