Download MASTER DOC for MESOPOTAMIA (renamed)

This document is the master overview of the entire week of the edu-larp scenario adventure. For
specific instructions on specific activities, please see the corresponding document.
This master document, and all others associated with it, is like a script to a theatrical play.
Seekers Unlimited may have been the writers, but the teachers and students are the directors
and actors, respectively. Once it goes live, so to speak, the stage is yours. Have fun learning.
Launch: Students engage in a week-long (five school day) interactive role-playing adventure
narrative. Each day will bring new challenges, and the narrative story they role-play continues
each day of the week; problems arising on Tuesday reappear on Wednesday unless dealt with.
They will play-pretend fictional characters of Ancient Mesopotamia during the reign of
Hammurabi. Each will have personal character-based goals to achieve that match academic
goals for the student. Through the process of self-directed learning as well as collaboration and
world-persistence, students gain a deeper understanding of the Cradle of Civilization and the
process for researching it.
Learning Objectives: Seekers Unlimited customized
● Students will be taught how to research topics and questions online.
● Students will be taught the process of extrapolation, supposition, and conjecture based
on facts, as well as the difference between data and conclusions drawn from them.
● Students will be taught improvisation and performance techniques.
● Students will be able to absorb and comprehend knowledge as well as explain and teach
it to others.
● Students will learn how different aspects of civilization inform and influence each other.
● Students will be taught about one of the first notable rulers of human civilization, the
importance of writing and record keeping, as well as trade, agriculture, urban centers,
religion, and stories as reflective of culture.
Learning Objectives: Aligned to Common Core Standards
See individual mods and roles - not all standards will be part of every student’s experience
atMesopotamia edu-larp by Seekers Unlimited the same intensity as others.
Common Core Standards are listed in Appendix 1
What is larp?
Larp is an acronym that stands for “live action role playing.” It is a an art form that includes
model UN clubs, mock trials, military simulations, cops and robbers, playing house, etc. It is
improvisational acting where all participants are actors, audience, and, to varying degrees, the
writers and directors of their own communal narrative.
For more information: Cooler Than You Think: Understanding Live Action Role Playing (PDF)
Adherence to “the rules” (not that strict)
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Larps come from stories and improvisation, of being someone not quite like yourself in Johan
Huizinga’s “magic circle”. Sometimes the stories take unexpected turns. That’s OK. For this
edu-larp, education is the number one priority and goal. Adherence to the rules, game
mechanics, or “realistic character portrayal” are secondary. If the educators or, better yet, the
students, wish to explore a tangent or throw a screwball, roll with it, as long as learning is
achieved. Example: although it is not stated anywhere in the rules, some characters might want
to attack other characters’ cities with their armies. Fine, but let the consequences fall where they
may. Like in improvisational theatre, the operating words are Yes, and...or Yes, but then...
Note to teachers: You know your students better than we do. Use your discretion and
judgement when it comes to dealing with student surprises. Some students might (and should)
use the mask of role-playing to do things they would never do in real life. Let them, but apply
penalties for outrageous behavior. Other students may be very timid to act or are afraid of
“doing it wrong” and “getting bad marks for failure.” Encourage them, push them, allow other
students to help and ally with them. This cannot be stressed enough times: character failure is
fine.
The Historical Time Period
There are historical records for the Mesopotamian civilizations from 2300 B.C. to the Muslim
conquest in the 7th century A.D., a span of 3000 years. Although these artifacts are many, they
are spotty and rife with contradictions due to many factors. However, some facts are known,
and though comparative historical dating is possible, i.e., this happened before that, exact
dating is difficult and speculative. Thus we are setting this edu-larp during the middle part of the
reign of King Hammurabi, before he conquered Larsa and the southern portion of the region. He
still has a strong kingdom under his control. The empire of Elam, to the east, did attack and
conquer cities near Babylon, and attempted to use sedition to get Babylon and Larsa to fight
and weaken both. Wikipedia claims that, after this fifth column was discovered, Hammurabi
instead allied with the King of Larsa to fight off Elam, which they succeeded in doing. However,
Babylon’s commitment to the war was much greater than Larsa’s. Whether that prompted
Hammurabi’s conquest of Larsa, or he saw them as a soft target, is for others to discover.
Thus, this time travel module will occur just as Elam threatens the fledgling Babylonian
kingdom, which could be any-when between 1920 BC and 1670 BC. We are assuming this
event happened in the thirteenth year of his reign, somewhere between 1779 BC and 1715 BC
(given two possible chronologies). We are also assuming that the Code of Hammurabi was
extant by this time. For purposes of one mod, the exact date is the thirteenth year of
Hammurabi, first month Nisannu, the fourth day.
If teachers have time to explain the difficulty of dating historical records, and the fact that
we don’t know exactly when this happened that would be great, but might be beyond the scope
of this scenario. Again, we know comparatively that King Hammurabi fought off Elam before
taking Larsa, the conquest of which started a period of military expansion until virtually all of the
important city-states of Mesopotamia were under his rule (in the First Babylonian Dynasty, of
which his kingship occurred in the middle).
Note: This scenario does not hide the ugly aspects of history.
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There are clear records of slavery, war, polytheism, prostitution, magic, astrological divination,
divorce, capital punishment, etc. All of these things could appear when kids do research, and
some of them might even be mentioned in the scenario. This might be something to address in
an ethics class or lesson, or in the wrap.
Note: Despite this being a historical simulation, students are allowed to use computer terminals,
smart phones, cameras, etc. at any time for research (with one exception in the map game,
detailed in that document).
The Historical Location
The events of this week occur in the city of Babylon, the capital of the First Babylonian Dynasty.
The other roles are citizen dignitaries and visitors from four city-states that were under
Hammurabi’s control when he first took the throne.
The ruins of Babylon are located roughly 55 miles south of modern Baghdad, Iraq.
Definitions of Events during the week (listed in calendar as well as here)
More detailed explanations of these will be below and/or in their own documents.
Intro = Teachers introduce concept of game, theme, schedule of the week, character roles, etc.
Basic role-playing exercises are conducted to warm up students.
Prep = preparation for the role by researching characters and building (making) elements, both
in general and for mods
Module (or Mod) = an activity where everyone is in character, but one specific group
performs/presents/leads
Fishbowl = an activity with everyone in character, without no leaders. Students try to achieve
character and academic goals, work with factions, etc. Interact with overall Elam invasion
überplot (überplot = one main plot that affects all players, as opposed to individual goals/plots or
small group goals/plots) as well as build on faction and individual plots/goals.
Time Traveler Wrap = Only Time Travelers are in-character. Everyone else is listening to their
report / or participating in a group discussion. Tedd/AJ act as Time Traveler editorial board.
Game wrap = There will be two periods to talk about the game itself with the Seekers design
staff as well as teachers. This is the time to make comments on the game itself.
Debrief = An end of game discussion on the deep content of the scenario, led by teachers.
What does it all mean? What is the significance and relevance of this period of history, history in
general?
CHARACTERS
All character sheets are contained in separate document.
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Students will play-pretend a character for this simulation. There are four role types of
characters:
● merchants who need to research cuneiform
● governors who need to research Code of Hammurabi
● astrologers who need to research Babylonian Astronomy
● priests who need to research the Epic of Gilgamesh
There will be nine students per role type. Two of the roles, merchants and priests, are assigned
to AJ, and the other two, governors and astrologers, to Tedd.
Two characters in each role type are secretly time travelers from the future. They will be
embedded in with the other role types, and will have the chance to experience all the activities
and excitement of the other roles, but with slightly different goals and an additional challenge for
them at the end of the week.
Character role types are assigned by teachers prior to receiving the characer sheet to afford
opportunity to begin research and musing about the time period and responsibilities of the role.
That is, students know ahead of time which of the four roles they will be (or they get to choose
from the two available to that teacher, at teacher’s discretion). They won’t, however, know the
exact details of that character until Monday. Teachers explain what each role needs to study to
prepare for the role (see list above for areas of research).
Note on female characters: historically speaking, Mesopotamian women were secondary to
men, and their primary value was to birth sons. However, women were priestesses and diviners
and scribes (astrologers), as well as merchants, mostly dealing with textiles and brewing beer.
For this scenario, characters are gender neutral.
Variant for older students: females playing governors also play-pretend to be male
Students choose between the roles available for each teacher, i.e., AJ’s students pick
between merchants or priests--or, teachers assign characters to students. Some characters are
time travelers under cover to study the ancient Mesopotamians.
Students should not share character sheets! Keep them secret!
Teachers will have characters as well: The Judges of Babylon
The judges have the authority and backing of King Hammurabi (and his armies), which
rules over all the other city-states. This authoritative role is a fictional mask for the teacher,
giving them a reason to encourage or rebuke characters in the context of the game.
These two judges are competing to a minor degree: they want the two roles they
represent (merchants and priests vs. governors and astrologers) to do as well as possible in
their mods and activities. The judge of a role type is there to encourage and help, the other
judge is to assess the final product.
This split is to establish a real-world assessment of the student’s learning by the teacher.
One can observe the work that a student or group of students put into a project, the other
teacher can “grade” based on the final product. Together, their equal “gradings” can average
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into a single assignment grade for the week This is only to assist schools where grades are
required. If different criteria for grading is used, this competition between judges is
merely fictional fun. Either way, the competition can be dropped if needed, but teachers still
must play the roles of Judges of Babylon.
Character and Academic Goals
Each student character has both character and academic goals. These goals should be
complimentary. Working on one will help achieve the other.
Examples:
Character goal
become Chief Judge
make your city state a trade center
impress head of state
Academic goal
master Code of Hammurabi
master commodity trading, cuneiform
master Epic of Gilgamesh
There will be three character goals for each character (not necessarily in this order):
#1 is related to the fishbowl, and require interaction with other characters
#2 is related to your character itself, and will coincide with doing research about your
role
#3 is related to the mod you will enact, and will coincide with that research
There will be three academic goals for each student (not necessarily in this order):
#1 is related to the context of this role with others, the culture, etc.
#2 is related to the character role itself, what these types of people do, did, or do now
#3 is related to the lesson of the mod, what it meant, why it is important
Academic Goal notes:
These are the L.O’s we want to hit for each student. If there is any evaluation, it should
be on the academic goals, NOT the character goals. However, they are related, and a student
who is underperforming the academic goals might not succeed as a character. But that is not a
guaranteed correlation; some students may do well as characters but miss the academic goals.
Others may fail as a character but succeed in learning the objectives.
Try for academic goal success. Character goal success is a MacGuffin.
City States
In addition to the occupational role-types, each character comes from one of four city states.
This gives two axes of potential friendship or partnership: loyalty to your role (all priests) and
loyalty to your city state (everyone from Kish).
All time travelers will be pretending to be from a city-state as well, but will be embedded and
acting in an occupation, just like the others.
Representatives of the four city-states have been called by King Hammurabi to the capital city of
Babylon. The teachers represent the Judges of Babylon and have the authority of the King, who
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will not be making an appearance in this larp (but could, with good reason and enough warning,
if a teacher wants to put a beard on and role-play King Hammurabi).
Guide to the character table below:
● Numbers in parentheses are # of students
● AJ and Tedd are not on this table, but are the two judges of Babylon
● For those from “any city”, it is recommended that they be split up amongst the four cities,
so not all are from Kish, for example.
● TT = time traveler (they are all from Dilbat)
(Tedd)
Astrologers of
(AJ)
Merchants of
(Tedd)
Governors of
(AJ)
Priests of
Kish (2)
Kish (2)
Kish (2)
Kish (2)
Sippar (2)
Sippar (2)
Sippar (2)
Sippar (2)
Borsippa (2)
Borsippa (2)
Borsippa (2)
Borsippa (2)
Dilbat (TT) (2)
Dilbat (TT) (2)
Dilbat (TT) (2)
Dilbat (TT) (2)
Any city (1)
Any city (1)
Any city (1)
Any city (1)
Time Travelers
The Time Travelers deserve special mention. Time Travelers are like temporal reporters
assigned to go back in time and embed themselves, Hunter Thompson-gonzo style, in the time
period. No discussion of temporal paradoxes allowed. They are, however, secret to the larp.
Only they know that they are from the future, it is a secret identity, like Superman, for them. For
all intents and purposes, they are citizens of Dilbat of the Babylonian empire, performing the
same actions as the other citizens.
The difference is that they have EXTRA WORK to do.
The time travelers will deliver a report to their superiors (teachers) back in the future.
This is during their own specific wrap on Friday.
This news report can take any form: a video news clip (a la 60 Minutes or national
news), an audio/radio clip (“This Ancient Mesopotamian Life”), an audio slideshow, a formal
lecture by the student (a teaching class, guest speaker), a picture slideshow lecture, or any
combination of the above. A written report (newspaper/magazine) is also possible, but would
have to be handed out to all other students during the wrap.
This means that they will have to work on this report clandestinely, outside of
mods/classes, IN ADDITION TO working on the regular mod for their role.
Note that the time travelers will be assumed to be appropriately clothed and speaking
the language of Mesopotamia to remain “hidden”.
The purpose of the time travelers is to provide an overall summation of the “facts” as we real
people know them, to bring everything together under one presentation. This bookends the
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opening introduction by the teachers, but after spending a week in the Mesopotamian sandals,
the students should have a different, deeper understanding of this civilization. It should
reinforce, remind, review the material already learned, especially bringing together the
knowledge that each group specialized in, i.e., merchants can get more information about the
Code of Hammurabi if they missed it.
More information about the Time Traveler wrap in the specific mod doc.
PREPARATION
There are two types of preparation for this entire scenario:
● general preparation for the edu-larp (the whole shebang)
● specific module preparation for the individual mods
General preparation involves:
● Reminding students what is role-playing
● Engaging in a fun role-playing exercise
● Giving information about Mesopotamia explained in a traditional lecture teaching style
● Explaining the schedule for the week
● Goals and learning objectives discussed
● Students receive and read over their characters
● Teachers respond to student questions about their characters
● Students receive their costume elements
● None of the above is “in character”
More information on this introductory preparation in the doc “Intro and Overall Prep”
Specific preparation involves:
● One of the four role types collaborating together to design, develop, discuss, and/or
research the mod they will be leading.
○ Mod prep will occur immediately preceding the mod, but more prep is strongly
recommended, when possible (out of class work is encouraged, but not required)
● Teacher assists with mod prep
● Characters not in mod prep can (should) work on their own mod, if they haven’t run it
yet, or their character/academic goals, if their mod is complete
More information on mod prep is in the corresponding module document, including any material
requirements.
MODS (Modules)
Mods are group-led exercises, where all members of one role type (i.e., priests) work together
to master a skill and material that they will be presented to all the other students and the Judges
of Babylon. Mastery might come during or even after the mod is presented.
There are four mods in this scenario, one for each character role type.
Each mod has a different lesson and related activity based on Mesopotamian history
Mod
Group Leaders (role type)
Lesson
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1 Market Bazaar
2 Court
3 Star divination
4 Performance
5 Time Travel Wrap (surprise)
Merchants
Governors
Astrologers
Priests
Time Travelers
Cuneiform
Code of Hammurabi
Babylon astronomy
Epic of Gilgamesh
Historical overview
See individual mod documents in this folder for more information on each module.
Judging the Mods
In game, the Judges of Babylon have called the other characters to the capital in the name of
King Hammurabi to examine them as worthy citizens of the empire. They will be rating the
performance of the characters in their mod as well as the preparation beforehand. Do they
collaborate or compete and argue? Do they have apathy or enthusiasm? Creativity or banality?
Judges can be looking for certain things, or marking things down, nodding or shaking their
heads, or acting as stern, sagacious authority figures. They may also encourage and help the
group under their control to do the best job they can in the mod.
The Judges have a wager (bet) on which groups will do the best, and which deserve the
laurels and recognition of King Hammurabi. Thus, they have a gentlemanly competition.
The Judge of the merchants and priests will help and support them, and judge them on
their preparation and teamwork. The other judge will grade the performance of the priests and
merchants in their mods.
The Judge of the governors and astrologers will help and support them, and judge them
on their preparation and teamwork. The other judge will grade the performance of the governors
and astrologers in their mods.
Judges should always call out incorrect facts. This is a tool to make sure that incorrect
knowledge is not retained. If a character starts talking about beating up “300 Spartans”, the
judge should rebuke the character and muse that Sparta, in Greece, hundreds of miles away,
may never become a world power, at least not for hundreds of years (as Sparta wasn’t
established as a city state until the 10th century BC, we’re in the 18th century BC).
This competition is just a ruse, a fiction, a con, to motivate students and allow
teachers the ability to assess academic performance of the students--as opposed to the
performance and abilities of the characters.
One Judge (teacher) will be able to “check the work” and see how the group collaborates
together. The other looks at the final product. It is entirely possible (though not likely) that a
group “fails” in the game, that is, their group does not perform up to the level expected from the
Judge of Babylon. However, that group may have succeeded brilliantly in the true goal, learning.
This in-game competition between the judges is just a tool for motivation. If teachers
deem it unnecessary, drop it.
FISHBOWLS AND THE MAP GAME
Fishbowls are open, freeform activities where the characters can do as they wish, as long as
they stay in character. This where they interact together in a traditional, unstructured “larp”
setting. Think of the fishbowl like the fantasy tavern, the lounge on the space station, the
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western saloon. All characters have goals to accomplish, both real (academic) and virtual
(character), and this is the best time to work on them, but maybe they just want to hang out and
pretend to be king of a city state. That’s fine. They can also interact to help others accomplish
their goals, make or break alliances, trade goods, study and prepare for their mod, whatever. As
long as the student is doing something in character (or researching their character) and not
playing video games, checking Facebook or Twitter, listening to music, etc., they’re fine.
Fishbowls should be fun times for plotting, scheming, allying, backstabbing, assisting,
hamming, scene chewing, etc.
There’s really no expectations or script for the fishbowl sessions.
Teachers are recommended to play their roles here as well (one of them), and to meet
and greet the other characters in character and ask how things are going in their city
state. Pretend to interact with them as dignitaries, not as students.
Inside the fishbowl, however, is the central thruline story, the overall narrative, called the
überplot, and a map game which the characters use to interact with the überplot.
The überplot
There is an overall narrative to this scenario, something that affects everyone:
The kingdom of Elam in the east invades, and King Hammurabi needs to defend the land.
Historically, Babylon was successful in repelling Elam, and then turning their armies south to
take Larsa, thus controlling all of Mesopotamia by the end of Hammurabi’s rule.
This überplot will color every aspect of the week’s narrative, but it becomes especially
apparent, and can be interacted with, during the fishbowl, which is when the “map game” comes
into play.
The Map Game
The map game is where the status of the überplot is reflected. It shows where the PCs are,
where their cities are, where other cities and lands (e.g., Elam) are located. It also has counters
introduced to it, like chess pieces, that can be (should be) interacted with by the characters.
These will be things coming into the area: invading armies, bandits, floods, caravans, etc.
Note the judges of Babylon can call attention to these things, but should never do
anything about it. Only the PCs (students) can engage with these map figures.
A large map of the area is required for this. This map should be available during fishbowls for
interactivity, but can be in the display area otherwise (or anywhere it will fit and not be
damaged).
Students can interact with the map via a Jeopardy-like Trivial Pursuit game. Results can help or
hinder personal goals as well as overall conditions for everyone in the game.
Many of the mods related to this map game, adding benefits or penalties, hints, etc.
See separate map game document for more details.
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WRAPS AND DEBRIEF
There is one “time traveler wrap” where the time travelers discuss, as if to a Review
Board, what they learned in the past (on Friday). This will be in front of all students (as audience
members) and teachers, who act as editors. This is for the TT students to report, like journalists,
what they learned (hopefully learned) in the mods. This is a chance to review everything that
happened, out of character (sort of), to squeeze as much knowledge out of the sponge as
possible. More information on this in the #5 mod - Time Traveler wrap document.
There will be two evaluations on the game itself, which are guided discussions about
how the mechanics and challenges and characters worked (this is mostly for Seekers Unlimited,
but will have benefit in general for GameDesk). This is the chance to talk about the character
goals, mechanics, and other such things with the game designers.
There will be one complete debrief of the entire game, where the academic goals are
discussed and delved into, what the students learned, etc. This is the chance to talk seriously
about the deeper lessons of history, personal introspection and reflection, etc.
Both the evaluations and the debrief are detailed more in the “Evaluations and Debrief”
document.
FOR TEACHERS: CONTROL THROTTLES
This design gives the educators tools to control the overall narrative and make sure that all
students are engaged to the fullest extent of their differentiated abilities. These are called
throttles, and may be used frequently, not at all, or something in between. A heavy push might
break a logjam, or a light touch will tip things back into equilibrium. Throttles are always at the
teacher’s discretion.
Maybe things are moving too fast, or too slow. Maybe one group is dominating, or
another does very poorly. Our first recommendation is to let the imbalance between the studentcharacters play out over the course of the week through the roles themselves. If, for example,
the merchants band together and charge too-high prices, priests can appeal to the governors,
and it may lead to a trial using the Code of Hammurabi. This ad hoc trial can play out at earliest
convenience, whether the actual court mod (#2), or in a fishbowl later in the week. Or, one citystate might be doing very well compared to the other two. Prompt one of the governors to make
an alliance with the other, so two are against three.
Key points to consider about using throttles and controlling the pacing of the game:
a. The scenario lasts a week, so early misfortunes can be later remedied.
b. Teachers, as judges of Babylon, have the backing of the King and his armies,
and can issue decrees to stop something destructive.
c. Teachers have control over what appears in the map game, and what those
things do, and when a “turn” cycles (normally at the end of the fishbowl, but can
be more frequent). If more armies need to sack a certain city because they were
getting too haughty, so mote it be. If one city can’t seem to find its way, maybe
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beneficial omens appear when one of their number comes to the map, or a
caravan visits that city first, or a small flood produces a bumper crop for them.
d. Besides control over the map, the judges’ competition, or friendly wager between
them, can be just enough of an emotional incentive for the students to step up.
Maybe after one group fails, the judge can give an inspirational talk to the other,
or tell the original group to “get back in there” (the fishbowl) and try again.
e. Yet another reminder: character objectives don’t matter in the grand
scheme--the academic (learning) objectives do. This live action role playing
scenario is a chance for students to try wild things and actually fail at them
without real consequence (maybe they lose bragging rights).
RESEARCH LINKS
Cuneiform
http://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/timeline.php
http://www.ducksters.com/history/mesopotamia/babylonian_empire.php
http://www.aasd.k12.wi.us/Staff/Hermansenjoel/Timeline%20of%20Mesopotamian%20Civilizati
ons.htm
http://www.ancientscripts.com/sumerian.html
Women in Mesopotamia
http://www.academia.edu/873588/Womens_Roles_in_Ancient_Mesopotamia
Trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Mesopotamian_units_of_measurement
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/trade/home_set.html
http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/commerce.html
Sumerian numerals
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Babylonian_numerals.svg
Overview site
http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/City/23
Quality site
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/
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Appendix 1 - California Common Core Standards applied to Mesopotamia Edu-Larp
Grade 6 Speaking and Listening Standards
Comprehension and Collaboration (all)
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one- on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to
probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and
define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making
comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.
d. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple
perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.
2. Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are
supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas (in each mod)
4. Present claims and findings (e.g., argument, narrative, informative, response to
literature presentations), sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts,
and details and nonverbal elements to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye
contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
a. Plan and deliver an informative/explanatory presentation that: develops a topic
with relevant facts, definitions, and concrete details; uses appropriate transitions to
clarify relationships; uses precise language and domain specific vocabulary; and
provides a strong conclusion.
5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual
displays in presentations to clarify information.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal
English when indicated or appropriate.
Grade 6 Writing Standards for Literacy in History (time travelers)
Text Types and Purposes
1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the
claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence
logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and
evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
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c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events,
scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or
explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
information or explanation presented.
Note from California Common Core: (3.) Students’ narrative skills continue to grow in these
grades. The Standards require that students be able to incorporate narrative elements
effectively into arguments and informative/explanatory texts. In history/social studies, students
must be able to incorporate narrative accounts into their analyses of individuals or events of
historical import. In science and technical subjects, students must be able to write precise
enough descriptions of the step-by-step procedures they use in their investigations or technical
work that others can replicate them and (possibly) reach the same results.
Production and Distribution of Writing
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen
writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on
how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the
relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that
allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources (primary and
secondary), using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source;
and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and
following a standard format for citation.
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9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Grade 6 Writing Standards
Research to Build and Present Knowledge (Epic of Gilgamesh mod/priests)
7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources
and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the
credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information
for sources.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
a. Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare
and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and
fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics”).
b. Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Trace and
evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are
supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not”).
Grade 6 Reading Standards for Informational Text (astrologers, merchants, governors)
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
2. Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details;
provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
3. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
5. Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall
structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
a. Analyze the use of text features (e.g., graphics, headers,
captions) in popular media.
6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is
conveyed in the text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
8. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims
that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
9. Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a
memoir written by and a biography on the same person).
Grade 6 Language Standards (all)
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Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
a. Ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective,
possessive).
b. Use all pronouns, including intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves)
correctly.
c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.*
d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous
antecedents).*
e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing
and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional
language.*
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off
nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.*
b. Spell correctly.
Knowledge of Language
3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener
interest, and style.*
b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.*
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple- meaning words and
phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. a.
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or
function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to
the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both
print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise
meaning or its part of speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g.,
by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in
word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., cause/effect, part/whole,
item/category) to better understand each of the words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g., stingy, scrimping, economical, unwasteful, thrifty).
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6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific
words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important
to comprehension or expression.
Grade 6 Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies (all)
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide
an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
3. Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies
(e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
5. Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded
language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps)
with other information in print and digital texts.
8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
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