Lesson 2: Titanic Timeline

I. General Information:
Grade Level: 3rd
Discipline: Socials Studies
Unit Topic: History-Titanic
Time Frame: 45 minutes
Text: National Geographic Readers: Titanic by Melissa Sweet
How Did the "Unsinkable" Titanic Sink? (Wonderopolis digital text)

Other Materials:
o Chart Paper
o Post it notes
o Markers
o Student iPads
o Timeline paper

II. Essential Understanding/Questions:

Essential Questions:
How do different sources provide evidence of what life was like in the past?
What causes or influences the choices people make?

Enduring Understandings: There are varying perspectives on the meaning of historical events.

III. Standards/Indicators
English Language Arts:
o RI3.3
Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts,
or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and
cause/effect.
o RI.3.7
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to
demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
o RI.3.5
Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate
information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
Social Studies:
o 5.A.1. Examine differences between past and present time.
a. Develop a timeline of events.

IV. Lesson Objectives

o Students will be able to locate and describe information in a text that is
relevant to the sinking of the Titanic.
o Students will be able to use information gained from text to develop a
timeline of the events leading up to the sinking of the Titanic.

V. Evaluation/Assessment:
Informal: Students will be informally evaluated for locating and describing
information relevant to the sinking of the Titanic & given feedback by using the
success criteria below.
I can Checklist
o Buddy read the texts
o Find information that is relevant
to the topic-Sinking of Titanic
o Describe information from texts
and explain how it is important to
the Sinking of the Titanic

Formal: Students will upload completed Timeline to online app (SeeSaw) &
evaluated by success criteria below.
Success Criteria Feedback
(3= meets expectations, 2= approaching
expectations, 1=limited progress)
I developed a sequential timeline of all
important events leading up to and
following the sinking of the Titanic.
I used accurate information gained
from text in my timeline.
I kept my work organized, neat, and
free from errors.
VI. Procedures:
Introduction:
Have students gather around the carpet. Hand each student a post it note.
Explain that students will quickly write down what happened yesterday at
different parts of the school day according to the color or post it note
(Yellow=morning, Red=recess, blue= lunch, etc.) Give students a few minutes to
write down their thoughts. Then, have students place their post it note on the
chart paper easel. Read aloud a few of the post it notes. After a while, ask: Is
this the best way to organize this information? Have students discuss what would
be a better way to organize these post it notes. Listen to a few of the student
ideas. Lead students to see that the best way would be to group these events in
sequential order.
Teaching/Activities:
1. Show students a blank timeline. Move the various post it notes from the
introduction into a timeline format. Ask & have students discuss: Why is
this easier to read? When might a timeline be helpful?
2. Explain that we will now revist our anchor text to find the important
events leading up to the Sinking of the Titanic. We will organize this
information in a sequential timeline.
3. Have students access text: National Geographic Readers: Titanic on their
ipads. Model finding the important information in the text for the the
first stop on the timeline. Then, have students help find the next
important piece of information. Add information to class timeline on the
board. Students will copy these two pieces of information from class
timeline to their timelines.
4. Next, share success criteria with students. Show students additional text
resource (Wonderopolis Text). Explain that students may use this
resource as well to add more relevant information to their timeline. Have
students pair up. Have students start building the rest of the timeline on
their own (or with partners, small groups).
5. As students are working, circulate around the room giving feedback to
students according to success criteria. Help students as needed (even pull
a flex group of students who many need additional support).
 6. After 30 minutes, have students upload a picture of their work to online
app (SeeSaw). This way they can see your feedback according to the
success criteria.

Closure: Give students time to analyze their peers work on SeeSaw. Allow
students to give feedback to their peers on SeeSaw according to the success
critera. Explain: students should give feedback in Glow & Grow format
Glow: What is one area of the success criteria that your peer did well on?
Grow:What is one area of the success criteria that your peer can grow on?

References:

How Did the. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-
did-the-unsinkable-titanic-sink

Learning, I. S. (2017, April 18). Seesaw: The Learning Journal on the App Store. Retrieved April 25,
2017, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seesaw-the-learning-journal/id930565184?mt=8

Stewart, M. (2012). National Geographic Readers Titanic. Place of publication not identified:
National G.