Transportation Timeline & Opinion Paragraph Lesson Plan

Grade 2 History/Language Arts

Joyce Bedell

Educational Technology 2220

Common Core Standards:

RI.2.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science,
and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range.

History Strand: Content Statements: 1. Time can be shown graphically on calendars and timelines. 2. Change
over time can be shown with artifacts, maps, and photographs. 3. Science and technology have changed daily
life.

W.2.1 Write opinion pieces that introduce the topic or book being written about, express an opinion, supply
reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons,
and provide a concluding statement or section.

Lesson Summary:

This lesson will allow students to research how major inventions have evolved from their beginning form to
what we know today. Students will choose to research either the car or the airplane as modes of modern
transportation. They will choose a short book to read on their subject of choice followed by creating a digital
timeline project showing photos of the original invention followed by subsequent changes up to the present.
Students will then engage in a pre-writing exercise using a graphic organizer to prepare to write a short opinion
paragraph sharing their thoughts on the importance of the modern version of the invention to our daily lives.

Estimated Duration:

This lesson will take 250 minutes and be divided up into five 50-minute class periods.

Commentary:

As a bridge to this lesson, we will discuss a recently read class book on pioneer life such as Little House on the
Prairie. We will discuss how the characters of that time period traveled from place to place. We will compare
the use of horse and wagon to our current modes of transportation. As a “hook,” I will ask students how they
came to school today? I would then ask how they might travel to Disney World in Florida? To transition to
the lesson, I would ask if students knew what the first car looked like? Do you know when it was invented?
Who invented the first car? Then I will ask similar questions about the airplane. I would show a photo on the
Smart Board of an early car, and then one of an early airplane. We would then discuss how they are different
from what we have today and how improvements over a period of time have changed their appearance and
usefulness.

Instructional Procedures:

Day 1: Introductory discussion. I will ask students how Laura Ingles and her family traveled (recent book
read to class: Little House on the Prairie.) We will discuss how the characters of that time period traveled. I
will ask students how they came to school today? How might you travel to Disney World in Florida? Does
anyone know the name of one of the first models of cars? When was it invented? What did it look like?
I will show a photo of a Model T on the Smart Board.
Similarly, I will lead the class in discussing the first airplane and show a photo of a Wright Brothers’
airplane on the Smart Board.
We will discuss how these photos are different from what we have today. Why do you think they have
changed over the last 100 years? (Time: 20 minutes)
Discuss how to find a short book about their individual choice of either an early car or an airplane on
www.getepic.com Students will turn on computers and find the website. Students may search for a book or
search for one of the following:
Henry Ford and the Model T, by Michael O’ Hearn
My Brother’s Flying Machine, by Jane Yolen.
(30 minutes)
Students who finish early may draw a picture of one of the cars or airplanes shown in the book, or find a
second book to read from www.getepic.com

Day 2: I will explain the concept of a timeline and show an example on the Smart Board. (10 minutes)
On the Smart Board I will locate www.spark.adobe.com/make/timeline-maker/ and demonstrate how to use the
timeline site by searching for “fireplace, then “woodburning stove,” and “furnace.” I will show students how
to search for a particular photo and insert a date, both of which will appear on the timeline. I will then write a
short caption for each photo. (Time: 15 minutes)
Students will be instructed to go to their www.seesaw.com account on their computers where they will find
instructions for the project and a link to the site www.spark.adobe.com/make/timeline-maker/ where they can
begin their timeline project.
(Time: 25 minutes) As they work, I will walk around to answer any questions, and encourage progress on the
project.

Day 3: I will display a graphic organizer -- the BLT Sandwich organizer -- on the Smart Board. This
organizer is a pre-writing activity to help the students plan an opinion paragraph. We will write this as a class
writing activity with student responses being written on the organizer. Students will have their own copy in
Seesaw.com (I am writing this lesson plan assuming that students have been using the Seesaw app to obtain
directions for assignments and have been doing their written assignments on this app.)
I will lead a class discussion on how today’s furnace is more convenient than burning wood in a fireplace.
(Writing standard W.2.1) (10 minutes)
I will pull up on the Smart Board a digital poster showing the parts needed for a good paragraph. (This
should be a review of previous paragraph writing, so the students should already know the expected format.
Writing an opinion, however, may be a new skill.)
I will explain that in this opinion, the object is to explain why we feel that a furnace works better than
heating with a fireplace.
Discuss a topic sentence that states our “opinion” of the furnace. Example: “Heating a house with a
furnace works better than heating with a fireplace.” Write this in the area for the topic sentence on the “BLT
Sandwich” graphic organizer. Students will write the same on their digital graphic organizer which appears in
the Seesaw instructions.
Continue by asking students to suggest reasons for our opinion. Ask such questions as, “Would a
fireplace heat the whole house or just the area close to the fireplace? (Refer to prior knowledge comparing a
fire in a fireplace to a campfire.) Do you think the fire would stay hot all night? Is an open fire very safe?”
Write three reasons for our opinion that a furnace works better than a fireplace.
Discuss writing a conclusion to the paragraph. (Restate the topic sentence in another way.) (40 minutes)

Day 4: I will begin with a review of the graphic organizer we made as a class in conjunction with the
paragraph we also wrote as a class in Day 3 by pulling up our work on the Smart Board. We will review the
“BLT Sandwich” graphic organizer and how we used a 1) topic sentence, 2) three supporting reasons, and 3) a
conclusion. Then I will ask a student to read the resulting paragraph. (15 minutes)
Students will open their Seesaw account and locate the directions for the graphic organizer. We will
discuss possibilities for a topic sentence for each choice: an early car or airplane. This must be a sentence that
expresses an opinion. Have students make suggestions for each and write them on the Smart Board. Students
may choose from those that were shared or may have another idea of their own. Walk around and make sure
that each student has written an opinion statement as his topic sentence. (15 minutes)
From there, students may continue writing: 3 reasons for their opinion, and a conclusive statement.
(20 minutes)
(By looking at the student accounts on Seesaw I will be able to check student work to make sure each
student has completed his graphic organizer in preparation for paragraph writing on Day 5. If any have not, I
will find time to help him complete this before we begin our assignment for Day 5.)

Day 5: I will open the example graphic organizer on the Smart Board. As a class, we will write a paragraph
incorporating all the sentences we wrote on the organizer. (15 minutes)
Students will open their Seesaw account and review the directions for writing an opinion paragraph.
(10 minutes) They will open their graphic organizer and begin writing a paragraph by using the sentences
written on it. This should complete the opinion paragraph part of the assignment. During this time I will be
walking around the classroom answering any questions and encouraging students in their work. (25 minutes)
Pre-Assessment:
Pre-assessment will be informal and based on the discussions we have at the beginning of the day’s
lessons. This will be based on teacher judgment observing by responses the students’ basic
understanding of the topic being discussed.

Scoring Guidelines:
This will be based on teacher judgment as to the students’ basic understanding of the topic being
discussed.

Post-Assessment:
Assessment of the timeline will be pass/fail.
Assessment of the opinion paragraph will be by the use of a check sheet for the demonstration of
specific writing skills. A total number of points for the paragraph will be assigned.

Scoring Guidelines:

A total number of points will be assigned for the paragraph; points earned will depend on the degree of
proficiency in correctly writing parts of a paragraph: topic sentence, supporting sentences, and
conclusive sentence.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Gifted or advanced students can be peer-tutors for students having difficulty.
An assortment of biographies of inventors at different reading levels could be made available in the
classroom or could be found on www.getepic.com for student reading.
To understand the concept of a timeline, students could draw a timeline of the major events of their
lives with parent help as a homework assignment preceding this lesson. This assignment could be given for
the entire class in advance of this lesson.
Peer tutors can be available to assist with the technology aspect of the assignment as well as teacher
support throughout.

Extension

www.livescience.com/37538-who-invented-the-car.html
www.history.com/news/history-faceoff-who-was-first-in-flight

These sites will allow the students to research other inventors who are not well known but who also made
contributions to these inventions.
Homework Options and Home Connections
With parental assistance, students will use Google or another search engine to search for more information on
early cars or planes and their inventors. Students may print photos of the inventions (or draw pictures if they
prefer), and write three things they learned that interested them. For instance, early cars and planes include
some made by German inventors.

Interdisciplinary Connections
History Strand; Heritage 4 Biographies can show how peoples’ actions have shaped the world in which we
live.
W.2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts that introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points,
and provide a concluding statement or section.

Students can continue to learn about different inventions that have changed our world by reading biographies
about the men or women who changed history with their inventions.

They can write factual information to share what they have learned.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers Smart Board

Sample Digital Timeline
Digital Poster showing parts of a paragraph
BLT Sandwich graphic organizer saved to Smart Board
Assessment sheet for opinion paragraph

For students Laptops

Instructions for timeline project listed in the activity section of Seesaw
BLT Sandwich graphic organizer uploaded to students’ Seesaw account
Instructions for opinion assignment written in the activity section of Seesaw
Homework assignment listed in Seesaw.
Websites:
www.getepic.com
www.spark.adobe.com/make/timeline-maker/
 www.seesaw.com
Extensions:
www.livescience.com/37538-who-invented-the-car.html
www.history.com/news/history-faceoff-who-was-first-in-flight

Key Vocabulary
Transportation – the manner in which people travel
Timeline – a graphic way to show a sequence of dates and events on a visual line. Photos can be included.
Opinion – the way an individual looks at an issue; an opinion can be identified by words such as “I think,” “I
like,” and does not include factual information.

Additional Notes

As mentioned in an earlier section, I am assuming that the students have been using a Seesaw account to
access instructions for assignments/projects, homework, and to do the written portions of assignments. This
was the app I reported on for a previous assignment and I think it would be a great way for students to have
access to directions for assignments and a place to do their writing. (In addition, parents can also have access.)

I am also assuming that paragraph writing has been ongoing, and will be a review. Writing an opinion may be
new.