Lesson Plan
Name(s) / Barbara Hoch, Kara Bell, Lauri BreisacherGrade level, type of lesson / First Grade, Birthday Timeline Lesson
Objectives / Students will correctly identify and describe where their birthday fits on a timeline representing months and days.
Standards / Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability: 1.1 Sort objects and data by common attributes and describe the categories.
Speaking Applications: 2.3 Relate an important life event or personal experience in a simple sequence.
Motivation/problem/
introduction / During the daily calendar review ask the students, “How do you know when your birthday is? What order will we celebrate birthdays in our class?
Resources and materials needed for lesson / A variety of light colored construction paper 12”x 18”. Markers, tape, and 3”x 2.5” plain index cards. List of students’ names and birthdates (month and day). A chart listing the months of the year. Wall space within student’s reach that allows the 12 sheets to be posted up side by side as one continuous line (wrapping the corner is fine). Book “Kipper’s Birthday” by Mick Inkpen.
Advance preparation: Holding a sheet of construction paper lengthwise, draw a wide black line approx. 4” from the top, across the entire sheet, and write a month above the line in large print. Draw evenly spaced vertical dashes across the line to represent the number of days in that month. Write the corresponding number above each dot in small print. Create a sheet for each month, alternating colors. Write each students name and birthday on a separate index card, using large print. See sample sheet attached.
** On the backside of the card, write the month of that student’s birthday.
Procedures (steps, include specific questions). A substitute should have enough information to be able to teach from this plan. / Read “Kipper’s Birthday”. Ask, “How do you know when your birthday is? What order will we celebrate birthdays in our class? Encourage the students to “Tell another student sitting near you when you think your birthday is.”
Write the word timeline on the board. “Today we will create a timeline. A timeline will help us sort our birthdays so we will know when to celebrate them. What do you think a timeline looks like?” After a few predictions, show a sheet of the timeline and explain that each sheet has a different month. “Today we will put the timeline on the wall and place a card for your birthdates in the correct order.“
Let students help tape the timeline up by giving partners a sheet and tape (begin with the current month). Explain that the months need to match the order of the posted months chart, beginning with the current month, and the line should connect from sheet to sheet (to look like a continuous line). Have students pass out the index cards to their owners. Ask students to stand in a line in front of their months and hold their cards up. Encourage observations such as one month having many students or no students. Have the students sit down with their cards. Call up all students whose birthdays are in (current month) and ask the students where they think the cards should go on the sheet. Guide their discussion toward a number order (5 is first, and 17 is next). Ask them where they think the card should go on the sheet. Let students tape their cards up and draw a colored line from the numbered dot that represents their birthday to their card. Continue with each month.
Close by asking “What did you learn about a timeline today?”
Provisions for individual learners (Second language learners, learning disabilities etc.) / A large chart briefly listing each other the following steps will help students understand the task:
- Hang the timeline
- Find your birthday month
- Put birthdates in order
- Tape your card to the timeline
- Draw a line to the date
Specific evaluation criteria and procedures (rubrics) / Students will be listened to and observed to informally assess their understanding of the correct placement of months and the ordering of numbers within a month. Note: The concept will be reviewed each month or for each birthday as needed.
Context for lesson: what prior knowledge do students need? What will follow this lesson? / Students should already know . . . How to count up to 31. Familiar with the concept of twelve months in a year.
Follow up activities would include: Marking the classroom’s monthly calendar with students’ birthdates. Reviewing the timeline each month or for each birthday. Discussing the types of birthday celebrations they are familiar with. Establishing a tradition of celebrating birthdays in the classroom. They could each have their own copy of the current months calendar (throughout the year) for marking their birthday, President’s birthdays, and family members birthdays (home connection).
Create timeline on TimeLiner 5.0 software. (TomSnyder.com)
What concepts and thinking processes did you expect to result from this lesson? / Prediction of what a timeline looks like. Cooperation among partners to post month sheets on the wall. Logical thinking to figure out how they can know when it’s their birthday. Logical thinking to determine the correct order of months and birthdates.