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

Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

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.

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.

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.
ELA21.2.R1
ELA21.2.R3
ELA21.2.1
ELA21.2.4
ELA21.2.27

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.

Total Duration

91 to 120 Minutes

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

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. 

Approved Date

2017-04-09

Owner2

missmac100
ALSDE LOGO

This site may contain links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THIS SITE.
Alabama Learning Exchange © 2002-2023 by Alabama State Department of Education is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Design by Adaptive Theme