This lesson is for a third grade classroom. We are studying a chapter on our country’s
early history. The chapter discusses how
slaves were used, how colonies were settled and developed their own laws and
also had to follow the laws of England, which led many colonists to want a
change in government. The colonies
wanted independence so leaders such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas
Jefferson, and others wrote a statement which came to be known as the
Declaration of Independence. This led to freedom and independence for the
colonists. The colonists chose George Washington to be the leader and President
of the new country. The leaders then wrote
the Constitution. (Content)
Read aloud the chapter
on our country’s earl history. Discuss how events occur in an order and could
be organized by dates and times. (Standard
8.1.2.A) Discuss how the country has changed over time and how it has
stayed the same. (DOK1) We would
discuss the events and important people from reading our chapter and make a
list of what the students generate on the board. (Standard
8.3.3.A., 8.3.3.B.) Then ask
students to help place them in an order of what happened first, second, next,
last. (Standard 8.1.3.A.) Rearrange
the events on the board so they are in first to last order in which they
occurred in history and determine how to place them on a timeline on the
smart board. (DOK2) After the timeline is
finished discuss the importance of order of events and what changes had to
occur before the next event could happen on the timeline. (DOK2) Ask
students to relate this to how their life has changed from second grade to
third grade. Students should list events
or important things and people they recall in their lives and make a timeline
of this information. Students will then
compare how their life has changed or stayed the same on their timeline to how
the nation has changed or stayed the same. (DOK3)
Students will then create a timeline from their birth date to the present (or
even future) time. Ideas to include on the timeline would be current president,
historical events in the community, inventions, and life changing events in
their own lives (DOK4) (Creative idea)
Domain 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c
This is great - linking the concept of a historical timeline to a timeline of the student's life! We have to be careful to not think of history as inevitable (there were always choices) but each event led to a choice that led to the next event. For those of us who are somewhat linear, timelines are great organizing tools!
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