Detailed Lesson Preparation Guide

Elementary Education
Name: Rachel Cummins
Title: Creating Timelines with a Biography
Grade: 2nd Grade
Concept/Topic: Creating Timelines
Time Needed: 35 minutes
Note: A detailed lesson plan is specific enough for another teacher to read and teach
effectively. There should not be any question regarding what to do or how to do it.

Backward Design Approach: Where are you going with your students?
Identify Desired Results/Learning Outcome:
For this lesson, the students will be introduced to timelines and their importance. By reading the
book I Am Helen Keller, the students will be learning about her and why she is important in our history.
The students will also be learning about timelines and how to create them. As a class with scaffolding
from the teacher, the students will help create a timeline for Helen Kellers life based on the book read
out loud.

Essential Question
What can we learn about the past from various sources?
How does understanding different perspectives deepen our understanding of history?

Ensuring Lesson supports district and state goals

NCSCOS Standards:
2.H.1 Understand how various sources provide information about the past.
2.H.1.1 Use timelines to show sequencing of events.

Assessment Plan:
N/A

Meeting the student where they are:

Prior Knowledge/Connections:
The students might know who Helen Keller is already so they will have some idea about who we
will be reading about. There is also a chance that the students will have seen a timeline before or heard
about it. Other than that, most students probably wont have much prior knowledge about Helen Keller
and knowledge about timelines.

Lesson Introduction/Hook:
The lesson will start by showing the students pictures of timelines and different examples of
timelines. We will have a brief discussion about why timelines are important and how we can use them
for our benefit. Once the discussion is over then I will introduce the book to the students and talk about
their prior knowledge about Helen Keller.
Heart of the Lesson/Learning Plans
Differentiation/Same-ation:
Students will be engaged on the carpet because they will all be putting in their input about what
they think should go on the timeline as we read the book. The students will be able to put their thumbs
up when they think there is an important part in Helens life that should be put on the timeline.
Students will be able to agree and disagree if they think that the idea is important to belong on the
timeline. All students will be able to see the SmartBoard and whiteboard because they will be up front
on the carpet. The writing will be done on the SmartBoard so students will all be able to see the board
and the writing. While reading the book, the students will all be sitting on the carpet listening quietly.
While I read the book out loud, I will be sure to show all the students the pictures in the story so they
can observe the illustrations.
Students will be involved with discourse and discussion with each other when they will be
creating their tableau as a group. They will be working together to create a still picture about Helen
Keller. They will work together to include important characteristic and points about her life. They will be
deciding what they think they should and shouldnt include in their tableau. This whole activity is a
group related and has the students working together as a team deciding what to include.

Lesson Development:
Provide a detailed description of how the lesson will progress. What will you do as the teacher? This
should be a detailed step by step account of how a lesson unfolds from beginning to end.

1. Have the students hit on the carpet in their assigned seats

2. Introduce timelines to the students- show them examples of timelines
a. A timeline helps tell a story. They are in sequential order- organized by the time its
happened. From past to present
b. They are easy to read because they are planned out and organized
c. Ask them what they think the use of a timeline and how is it helpful.
d. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F236x%2F0e%2F1c%2F7a%2F0e1c7ac31fa3a5
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e. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F45%2Fa5%2Fa8%2F45a5a8ad3cb397ff77070dae2f66329f--kids-worksheets-
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WhdBTwQMwj3ASgRMBE&iact=mrc&uact=8
3. Introduce the story to the students. Tell them that you will be reading I Am Helen Keller by
Brad Meltzer
a. While we are reading the book, students will need to think about the important events
that are happening in Helen Kellers life. When we are reading and you hear an event
that you think is important, I want the students to give a thumbs up to their chest.
4. Ask if the students have any questions
 5. Read the book. Stop at specific points that are planned out in the book ahead of time and also
make sure to notice when students are holding their thumbs up.
a. When you come across the event, write it on the board to show the students the
important points in Helens life that they think need to be included on the timeline.
6. Once the book is over, look back on the list of events you all created as a class.
7. Create the timeline with the students on the board
a. Explain each section that you are including and walk through the process with them
8. ***Example timeline will be attached at the end of the lesson***
9. Remind the students about what a timeline is and why we create them
10. Once the timeline is over- have the students get in groups of 4 or 5.
a. Students will now create a tableau together. Students will choose one word that
summarizes Helen Kellers life and then choose an action and/or body movement that
goes with it. Students start off by saying their title as a group Helen Kellers Life and
then individually they say the word and do the action that they thought of. Everyone
holds their pose until everyone has said their word and then as a group they repeat the
title of the tableau.
11. Give them about 10 minutes to work together and then go around to each group and share their
tableau.

Specific Questioning:
1. What is a timeline?
2. What uses could a timeline have? Why could it be important?

New Vocabulary:
1. Blind: cannot see
2. Deaf: cannot hear
3. Timeline: a graphic representation of the passage of time as a line
4. Braille: a tool that blind people can use to help them read

Concluding the Lesson/Closure/Debriefing

Students will create a tableau of Helen Kellers life in groups of 4 or 5. They will choose one
word that summarizes Helen Kellers life and then choose an action and/or body movement that goes
with it. Students start off by saying their title as a group Helen Kellers Life and then individually they
say the word and do the action that they thought of. Everyone holds their pose until everyone has said
their word and then as a group they repeat the title of the tableau. Give them about 10 minutes to do
this and then share everyones tableaus out.

Materials/Resources:
Book- I Am Helen Keller by Brad Meltzer
Smartboard
Whiteboard
Markers

Teaching Behavior Focus:

My teaching behavior focus that making sure that student engagement through discussion is fostered.

Follow-Up Activities/Parent Involvement

N/A

Helen Keller Timeline Example:

1. Helen Keller was born

2. Went blind at 19 months old
3. Learned small ways to communicate
4. Teacher Anne Sullivan
5. Learned what water was
6. Learned about love
7. Learned to read Braille
8. Learned speech with Anne Sullivan
9. Earned a college degree
10. Changed the world
11. Helen Keller passed away