Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)

Lesson Idea Name: Civil War Timeline

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 4th grade

Content Standard Addressed:

SS4H5: Explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the Civil War.
Technology Standard Addressed:
ISTE standard 3 Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to
construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves
and others.

Selected Technology Tool:

Timeline- ReadWriteThink
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/timeline_2/
Blooms Taxonomy Level(s):
Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

Level 1: Awareness Level 2: Exploration Level 3: Infusion Level 4: Integration
Level 5: Expansion Level 6: Refinement

Lesson idea implementation:

I would first begin this lesson by discussing with students how making timelines can be helpful when learning
about a specific historical event. For example, when you make a timeline you have to physically plot out the
sequence in which all of the events occurred. This will then allow you to better remember when each event
occurred because you actually took the information about the event and when it happened in history and
applied it to a project instead of just reading about it. I will then bring up how we have been learning about
the civil war for the past few weeks and how students are now going to use all of the information they
learned about to make a timeline about the major events/battles that occurred during the Civil War. The
timeline students create will include at least 5 major events and/or battles that happened during the Civil
War. Each event must be labeled and include the correct date as well as a short description of the event.
Students may add pictures to go along with the events in their timeline as well but it is not mandatory.
Additionally, while explaining the timeline project to students, I will have an example timeline pulled up on
the Interactive Whiteboard for students to see so they can get a better understanding of what they will be
doing.

The timelines should take 3-4 days to complete because before students actually begin making their timeline,
they will need to decide what events they would like to include, research those events, and find any pictures
they may want to use. While the students are working on their timelines, I will be walking around to observe
and answer any questions students may have about what they are supposed to be doing. To conclude the
lesson, when all of the students are done making their timelines, they will be presenting them to the class
individually so everyone has an opportunity to see what their fellow classmates created. This activity will
allow me to see how students do with a project like this and whether they enjoy it or not as well as see how
well they know the information they were taught. If I notice multiple students struggling to remember events
from the Civil War or what they were about then I know I need to go back and re-teach some things or teach
in a different way. I will provide feedback to students through a detailed, graded rubric that will also include

Summer 2017_SJB
 Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)
notes of their strengths and weaknesses with this particular project.

Summer 2017_SJB