Skip to Main Content
  Menu   Menu
Maryland.gov Home
Agency Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • Social Media Directory
Search Maryland
  • HOME
  • INSTRUCTION
    • Mathematics
    • English Language Arts
    • Social Studies
    • Science
    • Curricular Support Materials (CSM)
    • STEM
    • Health
    • Physical Education
    • Technology Education
    • MD Technology Literacy for Students
    • English for Speakers of Other Languages
    • Fine Arts
    • World Languages
    • Personal Financial Literacy
    • Disciplinary Literacy
    • Early Ed
    • Special Education
    • MD College and Career-Ready Standards Framework
    • Professional Learning
  • ASSESSMENT
    • Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA)
    • Maryland State Alternative Assessment (MSAA)
    • ACCESS 2.0 WIDA (ESL)
    • Monitoring Student Progress
    • Examining Student Work
  • SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
    • Improving Student Achievement
    • Classroom-Focused Improvement Process
    • School Improvement Planning
  • USER GUIDES
    • Students' Guide
    • ES Teachers' Guide
    • MS Teachers' Guide
    • HS Teachers' Guide
Home > INSTRUCTION > State Standards and Frameworks > English Language Arts > Unit_Overview

 Gr. 6 Unit: Changes Over Time - The Ethics of Selling History


Essential Question:

What is argument? How is an argument different from an opinion? Why do some people choose to sell historical artifacts while others choose to preserve history for all?


Lesson Calendar

DAY 1 - SEED 1

DAY 2 - SEED 2

DAY 3 - PLAN 1

DAY 4 - SEED 3

DAY 5 - SEED 4

DAY 6 - SEED 5

DAY 7 - SEED 6

DAY 8 - PLAN 2

DAY 9 - SEED 7

DAY 10 - SEED 8

DAY 11 - SEED 9

DAY 12 - SEED 10

DAY 13 - SEED 11

DAY 14 - SEED 12

DAY 15 - SEED 13

DAY 16 - SEED 14

DAY 17 - SEED 15

DAY 18 - SEED 16

DAY 19 - PLAN 3

DAY 20 - SEED 17

DAY 21 - SEED 18

DAY 22 - SEED 19

DAY 23 - SEED 20

DAY 24 - SEED 21

DAY 25 - SEED 22

DAY 26 - SEED 23

DAY 27 - SEED 24

DAY 28 - SEED 25

DAY 29 - SEED 26

DAY 30 - SEED 27

CCSS Standards for this Unit

Monitoring Templates

Download Seeds, Plans, and Resources (zip)

Send Feedback to MSDE’s Reading Team

Unit Overview

6 Weeks - "Unit at a Glance" Organizer

Download all unit files (zip)

The unit will take six weeks. Students will learn about changes over time and the ethics of selling history. Grade 6 students need to understand the role they can play in our society. In this unit, students will learn the power of a rational argument in exploring changes over time. Through reading, writing, listening, and speaking experiences, students will explores how an individual person can effect change. Students will have an opportunity to analyze in detail how an individual is portrayed in a text as an agent of change; trace and evaluate an argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not; write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence; and discuss their readings and writing by explicitly drawing on information about the topic, text, or issue.

Students will

  1. examine the specific ways an important person, event, or idea in the text is presented to a reader.
  2. support ideas with relevant evidence.
  3. identify claims in the text.
  4. assess the value of the argument based upon supported claims.
  5. take purposeful notes in preparation for discussion, using highlighting, outlines, journals, and other techniques as appropriate.
  6. demonstrate collegiality when asking and responding to questions and comments.
  7. analyze various sources in order to determine if they are authoritative, accurate, objective, current, and fully-covered.
  8. analyze claims and support within argument essays to determine if the support is appropriate, accurate, and adequate.
  9. analyze a class-created essay for fallacies of thinking in order to discern argument from persuasive writing.
  10. locate and utilize credible sources for research.
  11. compose an argument essay in order to advocate for a historical agent of change
  12. distinguish between subjective and objective summaries.
  13. determine the variety of ways that a person, event, or idea may be described or explained to a reader.
  14. adapt the prewriting stage of the writing process to an argument, including developing one or more claims, and effectively ordering reasons that support the claim.
  15. gather information to support claims.
  16. compose a draft of an introduction that presents a claim or claims clearly.
  17. identify claims and support in written material
  18. synthesize argument with creative artistic expression
  19. evaluate peers written and artistic expression of argument

Text Models for Lessons and Lesson Seeds

Texts:

From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Snyder
Slakes Limbo by Felice Holman
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett
The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
The Danger Game by Blue Balliett

Cohen, Daniel. "The First Emperor". Book Excerpt from The Tomb Robbers. (Selection can be found in the McDougal Littell and Holt McDougal Grade 6 anthology. The copyright dates for the referenced anthology range from 2003 to 2012.)

Web Articles:

Changes over time—The Ethics of Selling History http://www.economist.com/node/1056932
Civil War fort at Jamestown is dug up to get at 1607 site. http://thisweekinthecivilwar.com/?p=1229

SIRS Discover texts:

Martin, Noelene. "The Secret Army." Touchdown. April 2001: 86-89. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 05 Dec 2011.
Bryan. "The First Emperor." Junior Scholastic (Vol. 110, No. 17). 28 Apr 2008: 12+. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 05 Dec 2011.

Notes

IMPORTANT NOTE: Consider the need for Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) when selecting texts and/or novels for the unit or lessons. Consider the need for captioned/described video when selecting video or other media for the unit or lessons. For Instructional Materials (AIM), See http://marylandlearninglinks.org/.

The teacher should pre-assess students' prior knowledge of:

  1. reading and writing argument.
  2. essay writing including the ability to compose paragraphs with topic sentences, introductory paragraphs and concluding paragraphs
  3. citing sources when using quotations and paraphrased material

The Unit Summative Assessments are:

  1. Socratic Seminar discussion by organizing their notes and reviewing the questions developed related to the issue for debate: Why do some people choose to sell historical artifacts while others choose to preserve history for all? Is it ethical to sell historical artifacts for profit?
  2. a journal entry reflecting on their learning throughout the unit and individually respond to the unit's essential questions:
  1. What is argument? How is an argument different from an opinion?
  2. Why do some people choose to sell historical artifacts while others choose to preserve history for all?

Interdisciplinary Connections

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us 
  • Privacy 
  • Terms of Use 
  • Non-Discrimination Statement 
  • Accessibility 
  • siteMap

  • 200 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201-2595
    Phone:(410) 767.0600
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Flickr
  • MD Social Media Directory

  Last Updated 3/17/2020 1:12 PM