Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

Time After Time: How Can We Use Timelines to Reconstruct the Past? Part 3

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Mathematics
Social Studies

Grade(s)

2

Overview

The lesson will focus on creating a timeline. The teacher and students will work together to collect data from teachers around the school. Using this data, students will work to complete a class timeline and formulate questions to ask others about their completed timeline. This lesson will require four 30-45 minute sessions to complete.

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

    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    • Analyze a historical document.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.
    Mathematics (2019) Grade(s): 2

    MA19.2.17

    Measure the length of an object by selecting and using standard units of measurement shown on rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, or measuring tapes.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:MA19.2.17

    Vocabulary

    • Standard units of measurement

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • standard units of length measure (inches, feet, yards, centimeters and meters) and the related tools.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • measure length in standard units (inches, feet, yards, centimeters and meters).
    • choose and accurately use appropriate measurement tools and units of measure.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • without overlaps or gaps.
    • the length of the object is expressed as the number of unit lengths needed to cover the same distance.
    Mathematics (2019) Grade(s): 2

    MA19.2.22

    Create a number line diagram using whole numbers and use it to represent whole-number sums and differences within 100.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:MA19.2.22

    Vocabulary

    • Number line
    • Whole numbers
    • Sum
    • Difference

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • how to create a number line.
    • how to count forwards and backwards on a number line.
    • how to use addition and subtraction to solve equations using the number line.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • represent quantities and addition/subtraction on number line diagrams.
    • create and use number line models to represent, solve, and justify solutions to addition and subtraction problems within 100.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • quantities can be represented as distances from zero on a number line.
    • a variety of models, including number lines, can be used to represent and solve addition and subtraction problems.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

    ELA21.K.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.K.R1

    Vocabulary

    • Active listening
    • Discussion
    • Conversation
    • Rules
    • Participation

    Knowledge

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

    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 which help us actively listen and gain understanding.
    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

    ELA21.2.2

    Present information orally using complete sentences, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.2

    Vocabulary

    • Present
    • Orally
    • Complete sentences
    • Appropriate volume
    • Clear pronunciation

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Speaking skills for oral presentations.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Form complete sentences, use appropriate volume based on the situation or environment, and use clear pronunciation when sharing information orally.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • To communicate clearly, a speaker should use complete sentences, a voice volume that can be heard by the audience, and clearly pronounced words.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.3

    Demonstrate oral literacy skills by participating in a variety of oral language activities.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.3

    Vocabulary

    • Oral literacy skills
    • Oral language activities

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Oral literacy skills include speaking, listening, and comprehending.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Demonstrate oral literacy skills in a variety of oral language activities, such as creating oral stories, participating in oral dramatic activities, reciting poems and stories.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Practicing their oral literacy skills through a variety of activities will help improve their speaking, listening, and comprehension abilities.

    Primary Learning Objectives

    Students will:

    • use timelines to reconstruct the past.
    • measure objects using standard units of measurement.
    • create a number line diagram (timeline) using whole numbers.
    • utilize active listening skills in a variety of contexts, following agreed-upon rules.
    • orally ask questions to get information.
    • demonstrate oral literacy skills by interviewing teachers from their school.

    Procedures/Activities

    Before Strategy/Engage: 10 minutes

    TW= Teacher will

    SW=Student will

    1. TW review previous lessons. (Time after Time lessons 1 & 2)
    2. TW state “I wonder when each teacher started teaching at ___________?  If we wanted to make a timeline, what would we need to do?” Insert your school name into the blank (see picture of completed timeline at the end of lesson).

    1st 30-45 minute time period

    1. TW/SW develop a list of steps to complete a timeline.
    2. TW/SW start compiling a list of all teachers within the school on sticky notes. TW/SW organize or group the teachers by hallway or grade level to make data collection efficient. Students may reference a school map or directory to ensure all teachers/staff are included.  

    2nd 20-45 minute time period

    A few days prior to the lesson, TW will email the school to make teachers aware of the timeline project and that students will be coming to interview, and that the interview will only last about 2 minutes.

    1. TW assign students to a group of teacher/staff.
    2. TW/SW generate the survey they will ask each teacher. Example “Hi We’re from Ms. _________’s class and we are working on a timeline project. Can we ask you one question and take your picture? You get to approve the picture before we leave.”  
    3. SW practice speaking skills with the question before leaving to interview teachers.  
    4. TW send out student pairs/teams to interview 2-3 teachers. Tip/Idea: If there is a station or center time, this may be a good time to send pairs out for the short interviews. SW visit 2-3 teachers, so they will return by the next rotation.  
    5. TW/SW look at data collected.
    6. TW/SW make notes of what teachers still need to be interviewed if not completed in one day.  

    3rd 30-45 time period

    1. Before the lesson, TW print pictures students captured of teachers around the school. Pictures should be about 2” X 2”.
    2. SW complete interviews for any teachers still needed for the timeline.
    3. SW type teacher names and years teachers’ worked into Google Docs or a word processing document.
    4. SW cut out names and years teachers’ worked to adhere to picture.  
    5. SW compare years and work to organize data collected into years.
    6. SW work together to determine a desired length and spacing for timeline. (5-6 inches works well with the picture size.)
    7. TW/SW work together to determine what the total length of the timeline would need to be.
    8. TW/SW draw the timeline on a long strip of bulletin board paper. TW/SW measure off 5-6 inches for each year.  
    9. SW paste pictures on the timeline.  
    10. TW ask students, "What can we learn from this timeline? Did it match what you thought you would learn?  What else can you learn?"
    11. TW/SW work together to create a list of questions to ask others about the timeline to display in the hallway for others. (Click here to view an example.)

     After/Explain, Elaborate:

    1. After all tasks have been completed, SW complete the exit ticket. https://goo.gl/cUOSFd
    2. TW/SW revisit the standard, reflect, and discuss what was discovered.

    Assessment Strategies

    Formative Assessment

    TW informally assess students during group activities, whole class discussions, and while working on the class timeline. TW check the timeline for understanding: finding dates/events, ordering dates on the timeline, writing events with dates, and measuring equal distances between dates/events using this rubric: https://goo.gl/dn1uLS.

    TW use completed exit ticket (https://goo.gl/cUOSFd) to assess student knowledge of timelines.

    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.  

    Students could also create a timeline about the invention of earmuffs by using the book Earmuffs for Everyone. This book tells the story of the invention of earmuffs over time. The dates are included in the illustrations. Students can use these dates to create a timeline titled The Invention of Earmuffs and explain how earmuffs have evolved to our modern-day version.

    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 and months of the year. Students will need some basic measuring skills. The teacher will need to email other teachers in the building to let them know of projects. The teacher will want to let other teachers know that students are going to be surveying teachers and asking what year they started teaching at your school.  

    Materials and Resources

    Materials and Resources

    Student/Teacher Materials:

    • Paper

    • Pencils

    • Post-It notes

    • School map

    • Google Docs

    • Printer

    • Sharpies

    • Glue

    • Bulletin Board Paper

    • Earmuffs for Everyone by Meghan McCarthy (Acceleration book)

    • Exit Ticket: https://goo.gl/cUOSFd

    • Timeline Rubric: https://goo.gl/dn1uLS

    Technology Resources Needed

    Tablets with a camera or a digital camera (to take pictures for the timeline)

    ALSDE LOGO