| LU Title: Discover the Past | Author(s): Maryann Buck |
| Grade Level: 3rd | School : Holy Trinity School |
| Topic/Subject Area: Social Studies and ELA | Address: 1214 Lincoln Avenue Utica, New York 13502 |
| Email: HOLYTRIN@BORG.COM | Phone/Fax:(315) 724-0540 |
OVERVIEW
The past is history that needs to be opened in the minds of young children. This unit explores people, events, places, and inventions throughout history. Through research, students experience the beginning, make connections to the present, and imagine the future.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
| Declarative | Procedural |
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Are our lives effected by people, events, places, and inventions from the past?
CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS
List Standard # and Key Idea #: Write out related Performance Indicator(s) or Benchmark(s)
MST STANDARD 2 (INFORMATION SYSTEMS)
Key Idea 1
Benchmark 1: use a variety of equipment and software packages to enter, process, display, and communicate information in different forms.
SS STANDARD 2 (WORLD HISTORY)
Key Idea 2
Benchmark 2: know how to develop timelines that display important events and eras from world history
Benchmark 4: compare important events and accomplishments from different time periods in history.
ELA STANDARD 1 (LANGUAGE FOR INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING)
Key Idea 1
Benchmark 2:use a variety of sources to gather information for research topics
Benchmark 3:use graphic organizers to gather and record information for research topics.
Key Idea 2
Benchmark 1: present information in a variety of oral and written forms
INITIATING ACTIVITY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ICE CREAM CONE!
Our "Discover the Past" unit begins by looking at the history of ice cream and the ice cream cone. Using activities from the thematic unit "Ice Cream" (see resources), students learn that the past can be interesting and exciting! More activities on ice cream will be used to teach students other skills throughout this unit. And of course, on September 21st, we enjoy an ice cream cone treat to celebrate the date in history of this very important event for all children!
Students are also introduced to our "Discover the Past" bulletin board. Each day we will be listening to one special event that happened in history. We will determine how many years ago the event happened. We will discuss the event. The event card will be placed on the bulletin board to be displayed for the month. Students who show an interest on that event (each student must choose one per month) will be asked to do additional research as stated in the Learning Experience area of this unit.
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending / refining experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.
1. ACTIVITY: GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (HISTORY OF ICE CREAM)
Discuss with the class the purpose of a graphic organizer. Use the example of ice cream from the initiating activity. Ask students to recall some interesting facts that they learned. Use this information to fill in the graphic organizer placed on the overhead. (The graphic organizer asks students to recall five important/interesting things about the topic they are studying.) Each student is then given a graphic organizer. For September, students are grouped. Each group is given a past person, place, event, or invention from that month.
**Please note that students are in groups but each student will find his/her own information to compare in a future lesson.
**In September, October, and November, this activity is done in groups. In December, students begin to select their own events to report on.
Product Based Assessment: Students will complete all information on their graphic organizer using resources in Activity 2.
II. ACTIVITY: RESEARCH SKILLS AND TYPES OF RESEARCH
Students will be taken to the library and introduced to various resources available to them to locate information (encyclopedias, computer software, and information books).
Through the use of the library and the computer, students will use resources to gather information for their graphic organizer. Students list their resources on the graphic organizer.
Product Based Assessment: In groups students will compare their information. Discrepancies will be checked for accurate date.
**In December, when students do independent assignments, graphic organizers are given a due date and checked by the teacher.
**Thursday afternoon (1:00-2:00) is set aside throughout the year for research/computer time. During that time students may visit the library to obtain more information on their topic (including using the internet) with the help of the librarian, or they remain in the classroom where they can look up information on the classroom computer, word process their information for Activity three, or work on their first drafts. Individual help is available during this time. Parent volunteers are often available to help.
III. ACTIVITY: HOW TO WRITE AN INFORMATION REPORT
Have on display the steps to good writing. Explain to the students what would comprise a good information report. Show them a sample of a grading rubric. Using the graphic organizer for ice cream, the class, under teacher's direction will write a first draft information report.
**Make sure that the students understand that when they write, they must put what they have learned in their own words.
Product Based Assessment: In groups students will use their information gathered on their graphic organizer to write a first draft information report on their given topic. The teacher edits the first draft. Students then write a final draft on paper or type draft on the computer using any word processing program.
IV. ACTIVITY: ORAL READING SKILLS
The keys to giving a good oral report are discussed with the students. When all reports are complete, each group presents their findings orally to the class. Questions and answers follow.
Product and Process Focused Assessment: The teacher will listen to and observe students during their oral presentation and question, answer time. A rubric will be used to grade their oral presentation.
**Activities 2-3-4 continue on a monthly basis. Each month students choose new topics pertaining to happenings in that month.
**Depending on your curriculum and grade level, this unit can be minimized. You can center one month on inventions, one month on famous people, or another on special events, etc.. Events do not necessarily have to be within a given month.
V. ACTIVITY: CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER AND TIME LINER 4.0
1. At the end of each month, students as a class put the events of that month in chronological order. The term chronological order is defined and discussed. Dates are placed on index cards and distributed to the students. A worksheet is used listing all the events for that month. After looking at the dates, we write the years from least to greatest (examples: 1400's, 1600's, 1800's,etc.) on the board. The teacher then starts with the lowest year (example: 1400's). Those students who have an index card in the 1400's line up with their cards in chronological order. The cards are placed on the chalk tray and numbered. We then proceed to the next year (example: 1600's). Students number their events on their worksheet.
2. Topics that the students have researched on are now used to create a time line using TimeLiner 4.0. Four types of time lines are introduced and used: banner view, compact view, list view, and data view. This allows students different ways to view chronological order. Flow charts are available and used by the students. Computer class time can be used with the help of the computer teacher to create these timelines. Students vote on which timeline to do each month after all have been introduced. This is done as a class lesson at the end of each month.
Product and Process Focused Assessment: As students become comfortable with chronological order, activity V(1) goes from class work, to group work, and then independent work. Answers are then checked when we do the timeliner activity.
VI. ACTIVITY: CREATIVE PROJECTS
To enhance our monthly "Discover the Past" project, students are encouraged to use different ways to show the knowledge they have gained after researching their topics. Besides the written report students can also use the following:
This allows students to be creative and focuses on their given talents.
Evaluation is assigned extra credit points to the written project.
CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
Include rubric(s)
ME
YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
It is the year 2086. A third grade class is sitting on the rug ready to "Discover the Past". The teacher reads the date: March 15,2026. "That was sixty years ago!" a student replies. The teacher reads your name. On that date you made history!
Do you ever think about what you will be doing in the future? What will you do to make yourself an important part of history?
Maybe you will be:
. a doctor who discovers a cure for a life-threatening disease
. an astronaut who travels to a new galaxy
. a fireperson who heroically saves the lives of hundreds of children
. the president of the United States who solves a world problem
. a humanitarian who devotes his/her life to helping others
You will do the following:
A. Complete a time line of your life using a graphic organizer. From birth to present you must use major events in your life that have really happened. Then plan your future. Include the major events that led you to becoming a famous person. What historic event took place on March 15,2026?
Time-Line Graphic Organizer (example)
Date Event
Month/Day/Year
* Students will individually choose which type of timeline they would like to use to show the events of their life.
B. Complete the research sheet, giving a detailed description for each area. Use your timeline graphic organizer to help you.
The research sheet contains the following:
. name
. date of birth
. describe your early life
. describe your education and career
. what were your important contributions
. explain what made you famous on March 15,2026.
* This research sheet will be on a template for the students to fill in as a final draft.
C. Write a newspaper article dated March 15,2026. Write a detailed report of the day you made history. Include information from your graphic organizer and research sheet.
PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS
Each student will need to know:
. what a paragraph is
. how to put sentences together to make a paragraph
. how to work cooperatively in groups
. how to use word processing and keyboarding skills
MODIFICATIONS
As stated within the unit, we progress from teacher-directed class work, to group work, and finally to independent work. Students who are not ready for independent work will be given continued one-one help.
This unit requires the help of the school librarian and computer/technology teacher. Volunteer parents also help with research. Our remediation resource teacher has also helped when needed.
Students with IEP's have their needs met throughout the unit. This includes script writing, relating knowledge orally, and having information read to them.
UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN
This is a unit that lasts all year but can be modified to a monthly unit.
We spend five minutes per day to read our discover the past card, determine how many years ago the event happened, and to discuss it. The event is then placed on our bulletin board.
Activities 1-2-3 usually take forty-five minutes to an hour to complete. These are done in September, October, and November. After that they are worked on at home, or during our Thursday computer/research time.
Oral presentations are done throughout the month as students complete their assignments.
Activity 5(1) usually takes 30 minutes on the last school day of each month.
The timeliner activities usually take one computer class of 50 minutes.
TECHNOLOGY USE
Time Liner 4.0
Bookshelf '98
Encarta'96
Encarta 2000
Compton's NewMedia, Inc. 1995
Use any encyclopedia software or information software that enables students to find information about their topic.
These are some Internet sites that students have used to obtain information on their topics. Many of these the students found themselves.
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/3/0,5716,28703+1,1,00.html
http://www.grolier.com/presidents/prehome.html
http://www.worldbook.com/features/womenhistory/home.html
http://rsr.loc.gov/
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2History_n2/a.html
REFERENCES
Encyclopedias, Reference books, biographies, and autobiographies containing information on given historical topics are used throughout the year.
Ice Cream (Thematic Unit) by Teacher Creative Materials
CULMINATING ACTIVITY RUBRIC
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
ME
YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
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OPENING |
INFORMATION |
ORGANIZATION |
SENSORY APPEAL |
CONCLUSION |
MECHANICS |
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4 |
Your beginning sentences are interesting and creative. You have the reader's Interest. |
You have chosen the most important information about you past, present, and future. |
All events were correctly written in chronological order. |
You have interesting and creative details about yourself that lead the reader to see why you are famous. |
You ended your article in a unique and creative way. The reader wants to know more about you. |
You Independently used correct mechanics. |
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3 |
Your beginning sentences are interesting. You have the reader's interest. |
You have chosen most of the important information about your past, present, and future. |
Most of your events were correctly written in chronological order. |
You have included details about yourself that lead the reader to see why you are famous. |
You ended your article in an adequate way. The reader wants to know more about you |
With minimum assistance you used correct mechanics. |
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2 |
Your beginning sentences are acceptable. They do not have the reader's interest. |
You have chosen some of the important information about your past, present, and future |
You had difficulty placing your events in chronological order. |
You have included some details about yourself that lead the reader to see why you are famous. |
You ended your article, but it was not interesting enough for the reader to want to know more about you. |
With maximum assistance you used correct mechanics. |
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1 |
Your beginning sentences are not acceptable. They do not hold the reader's attention |
You have very little important information about your past present, and future. |
You were not able to place your events in chronological order. |
You included very few details. |
You gave no conclusion to your article.
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With maximum assistance you did not use correct mechanics. |
CULMINATING ACTIVITY
TIMELINE EVALUATION
ME
YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
4= I was able to complete work independently.
3= I was able to complete work with minimal assistance.
2= I was able to complete work, but I needed a lot of help.
1= I could not do it on my own . I had to have someone help me do it.
_____ I was able to use my timeline flow chart as a guide to record my information.
_____ I put the events of my life in correct chronological order.
_____ The dates on my timeline were correct and/or made sense.
_____ My spelling and grammar were correct.
GRADE SCALE
20-19= E
18-17= S+
16-15= S
14-13= S-
12-below= N