Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Time After Time: How Can We Use Timelines to Reconstruct the Past? Part 1

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Social Studies

Grade(s)

2

Overview

The lesson will focus on ordering common events by times, days, months, steps, or events. Students will work collaboratively in groups to organize five child-focused events, steps, or times. These titles, events, steps, days, and times will be cut apart so that students need to organize them into a logical sequence. Groups will rotate through the five events to practice daily schedules, holidays, school schedules, weekly events, and procedural texts. Groups may take a picture of completed events as a digital copy or the teacher may check each group for formative assessment.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

    Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 2

    SS10.2.2

    Identify national historical figures and celebrations that exemplify fundamental democratic values, including equality, justice, and responsibility for the common good.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SS10.3.12

    Vocabulary

    • historic figures (male and female)
    • celebrations
    • exemplify
    • democratic values
    • recognize
    • founding fathers
    • significance
    • national holidays
    • American symbols
    • monuments

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Fundamental democratic values including equality, justice, and responsibility for the common good.
    • The names and significance of national historic figures, both male and female.
    • The significance of national holidays and the relationship of each to democratic values.
    • The history and significance of American symbols and monuments.
    • Vocabulary: democratic values, equality, justice, responsibility, common good, founding father, national holiday, American symbol, monument

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify national historic figures and celebrations.
    • Identify the ways historic figures and celebrations exemplify fundamental democratic values.
    • Recognize our country's founding fathers and other historic male figures.
    • Recognize historic female figures.
    • Describe national holidays, including the significance of each and the democratic values associated with each.
    • Identify American symbols and monuments and describe the history and significance of each.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • There is an importance and impact of national historic figures and celebrations.
    Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 2

    SS10.2.3

    Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SS10.3.13

    Vocabulary

    • primary sources
    • calendars
    • timelines
    • reconstructing
    • past

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • How to use a calendar.
    • How to interpret a timeline.
    • Vocabulary: primary sources, calendar, timeline, past, historical letter, artifacts

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Read a calendar.
    • Create and use a timeline.
    • Analyze a historical document.
    • Utilize maps, photographs, and other visual historic resources.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Primary sources play an important role in reconstructing the past.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.R1

    Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.R1

    Vocabulary

    • Active Listening
    • Discussion
    • Conversation
    • Rules
    • Participation

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Active listening skills.
    • Agreed-upon rules for participation for discussions and conversations in a variety of settings.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
    • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
    • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules to help us actively listen and gain understanding.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.R3

    Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.R3

    Vocabulary

    • Background knowledge
    • Vocabulary
    • Discussion

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Relating experiences through discussions, writing, and reading will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
    • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
    • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.1

    Participate in conversations and discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed-upon rules.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.1

    Vocabulary

    • Conversations
    • Discussions
    • Groups
    • Peers
    • Agreed-upon rules

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Speaking and listening skills for discussions and conversations with groups and peers.
    • Agreed-upon rules for discussions.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Listen attentively.
    • Add to conversations.
    • Take turns speaking.
    • Respond to the comments of others.
    • Extend conversations.
    • Converse with peers and adults.
    • Converse in small and large groups.
    • Ask clarifying questions.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Good conversations occur when participants actively listen, build on others' ideas, and ask clarifying questions.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.4

    Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation, using complete sentences to provide key ideas and details.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.4

    Vocabulary

    • Orally
    • Who, what, when where, why, and how questions
    • Complete sentences
    • Key ideas
    • Key details

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Key ideas and details should be included when answering questions.
    • Complete sentences, which contain a subject and a predicate, should be used when answering questions.
    • Who, when, and where questions will have a concrete, objective answer.
    • What, why, and how questions may have a more abstract, subjective answer.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Orally answer questions about a text or conversation using complete sentences that provide information about key ideas and details.
    • Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation with appropriate key ideas and details.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • When answering who, what, when, where, why, and how questions they should provide key ideas and details from a text or conversation to demonstrate their comprehension.
    • Speaking in complete sentences helps them clearly communicate their message and their understanding.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.27

    Identify the text structures within literary and informational texts, including cause and effect, problem and solution, and sequence of events.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.27

    Vocabulary

    • Text structures
    • Literary texts
    • Informational texts
    • Cause and effect
    • Problem and solution
    • Sequence of events

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Literary and informational texts follow predictable structures.
    • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
    • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
    • Sequence of events is the order of events within a text.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify the text structure of literary texts.
    • Identify the text structure of informational texts.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Identifying the text structure of literary and informational texts will set a purpose for their reading and improve their comprehension.

    Primary Learning Objectives

    Students will:

    • identify and describe national historical figures and celebrations.
    • use timelines to reconstruct the past.
    • utilize active listening skills in a variety of contexts, following agreed-upon rules.
    • answer questions about a text using complete sentences.
    • identify the sequence of events text structure in informational texts.

    Procedures/Activities

    TW=Teacher Will 

    SW=Student Will 

    Before/Engage

    TW-Display Standard. Unpack the standard with students.

    TW/SW-Analyze standard to write it in kid-friendly terms. 

    During/Explore/Explain

    1st period:  30-45 Minute

    1. TW show an example sequence of events without a title from https://goo.gl/tBvk8A.

    2. TW tell students, “Today we will be working with groups. You will be given a list of events. You will work with your group to put these events in order. “

    3. TW show all the possible event titles. TW keep these titles at a common table for students to get after they have put their designated event group in order.  

    4. TW tell students “Once your group has finished placing your events in order, you will need to discuss what these events or steps have in common. You will then pick out a title from this table to give a title to your sequence of events.”

    5. TW divide students into five groups: Specials, Subjects, How to Use, Holidays, and Events in a Day. Four groups can be made if you eliminate the “How to Use_______” group.

    5. SW work together in small groups to order events for five minutes with each grouping.

    6. SW rotate through all five groups. At each group, SW take a picture to record their answers using a camera. 

    During/Explore/Explain

    2nd Period: 30-45 Minute

    1. TW  Read As The Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas.  
    2. TW stop while reading to discuss how much time has passed between pages.  
    3. TW/SW create a timeline together recording time that passes in As The Oak Tree Grows.
    4. TW/SW will work together to generate questions about the timeline.
    5. TW divide students into groups or with partners to observe/analyze books with timelines.
    6. Each group will be given a biography of a famous American: Suggested titles:
      • George Washington by Erin Edison
      • Martin Luther King Jr. by Riley Flynn
      • Rosa Parks by Erin Edison
      • Clara Barton by Erin Edison
      • Sally Ride by Erin Edison
      • Susan B. Anthony by Erin Edison
      • Jane Goodall by Erin Edison
      • Harriet Tubman by Erin Edison
      • Florence Nightingale by Erin Edison
      • Marie Curie by Erin Edison
      • Helen Keller by Erin Edison
      • Pocahontas by Erin Edison
    7. SW find the timeline in their biography. The groups will discuss and answer these questions: https://goo.gl/WrzpbA. TW observe students in groups and help where needed.
    8. TW/SW show and discuss things they noticed about timelines: dates, years, pictures, facts, etc. with the group.

    After

    1.  After all tasks have been completed, SW complete the exit ticket. https://goo.gl/cUOSFd.

    2.  TW/SW revisit standard, reflect, and discuss what was discovered.

    Assessment Strategies

    Formative Assessment: The teacher should informally assess students during the group activities and whole class discussions. The teacher should use timeline questions to assess understanding: https://goo.gl/WrzpbA. TW will use data collected from the day 1 session to see if students are understanding the sequence of events.

    TW will use data collected from the day 2 session to see if students understand parts of a timeline: specific distance, dates, facts, pictures (in some cases), etc. TW use the timeline questions sheet and any notes made while observing students in groups during the timeline task. TW also use exit ticket (https://goo.gl/EWJhqL) to discover objectives obtained during the lesson and questions that are still remaining. 

    Acceleration

    Students that need to expand on their understanding, can create a timeline featuring the famous Americans from the group according to their birthdates. They can create this digitally or on paper. This timeline can be shared with the group to deepen understanding of the past as it is related to the featured famous Americans.

     

    Intervention

    If there are students that require additional help with understanding number order (years in timeline), they should be pulled in a small group to practice number order with the teacher prior to the group activity.

    Approximate Duration

    Total Duration

    91 to 120 Minutes

    Background and Preparation

    Background/Preparation

    Prior to teaching this lesson, students need to understand basic calendar skills such as the order of the days of the week, months of the year, and holidays.

    Students will also need to know how to use a basic piece of electronics like an Osmo (or another procedure with steps). Students also need to be able to order numbers from least to greatest.

    Materials and Resources

    Materials and Resources

    Document with events for each group: https://goo.gl/q3d6S2 (This is an editable document that can be changed to meet your own schedules and needs.)

    The teacher will need to print and cut apart events, days, times, and titles on the document.  

    Timeline Questions for group- 1 sheet per group https://goo.gl/WrzpbA

    For digital copies:  iPads, cameras, etc.

    As the Oak Tree Grows by G. Brian Karas

    Books with timelines or Pebble Books Biographies:  

    • George Washington by Erin Edison
    • Martin Luther King Jr. by Riley Flynn
    • Rosa Parks by Erin Edison
    • Clara Barton by Erin Edison
    • Sally Ride by Erin Edison
    • Susan B. Anthony by Erin Edison
    • Jane Goodall by Erin Edison
    • Harriet Tubman by Erin Edison
    • Florence Nightingale by Erin Edison
    • Marie Curie by Erin Edison
    • Helen Keller by Erin Edison
    • Pocahontas by Erin Edison

    Exit ticket: https://goo.gl/cUOSFd

    Technology Resources Needed

    • Computer
    • Google Docs
    • Smartboard Projector for teacher demonstration book
    • For Digital copies: iPads, cameras, Etc. 
    ALSDE LOGO