Name: Kaylee Nona

Lesson strategy: Interactive Timeline Lesson title: Lewis and Clark Expedition

Grade Level/Subject: 5th grade Social Studies
NC Social Studies Essential Standard:
5.H.1.1 Evaluate the relationships between European
explorers (French, Spanish and English) and American Indian
groups, based on accuracy of historical information (beliefs,
fears and leadership).
Big Idea/Central Focus: Focusing on the main
objectives and important events in during the
Lewis and Clark expedition
Identify NCSS Theme(s) your lesson connects
with: http://www.ncss.org/standards

Daily Lesson Objective: Students will be able to create an interactive timeline based on the important event and
objectives of the Lewis and Clark expedition and make further investigation of the events.

Identify the 21st Century Skills in the lesson: Academic Language Demand (Language Function
www.p21.org/storage/documents/docs/P21_framework_0816.pdf and Vocabulary):

Collaboration: Students will be working in partners to Language Function: Create

research the Lewis and Clark expedition and create an
interactive timeline. Vocabulary: Lewis and Clark, expedition

Critical Thinking: Students will be thinking critically about Syntax: interactive timelines
the events and objectives of the Lewis and Clark expedition
and determine which ones to include in the timeline. Discourse: small group discussion, whole group
discussion

Prior Knowledge of Students (report the data from the pre-assessment):

The sample size of the students that were asked these questions before creating the lesson to gain information about
the students’ prior knowledge was 7. Out of the 7, 5 of the students explained that an interactive timeline had
something to do with ordering events in a fun way. None of the students knew what years the Lewis and Clark
expedition took place over. Two out of the 7 students knew that Thomas Jefferson was president and the one who
launched the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Two of the students correctly answered the question that asked which one was
the best and most relevant reason that Lewis and Clark went on this expedition out west—to find a practical route across
this area.
Before you describe the lesson sequence, you need include a Social Studies Content Section. This section should be 2-
3 paragraphs long. In this section, you are describing the content of your lesson. This section is similar to an essay you
might write in a history or geography course, where you explain the essential understandings about the content and
topic of your lesson. This content section is the “meat” of the lesson:

The Lewis and Clark expedition started in May 1803 and ended in September 1806. It was the first American expedition
to cross what is now the western portion of the United States. To start in 1803, Thomas Jefferson commanded the Lewis
and Clark expedition. Lewis and William Clark both led the expedition to the land west of the Mississippi, known as the
Louisiana Territory that was purchased from France in 1803.

During this expedition, Lewis and Clark faced many obstacles, including harsh waters and weather, hunger, illness, injury,
and fatigue. Lewis kept a journal along the way and collected samples of plants and animals he encountered on the
expedition. In 1806, Lewis and Clark split up to explore more of the western territory and find a faster route home. They
faced great danger when a group of Indians sought to steal from the expedition. In total, the two traveled almost 8,000
miles by boat, on foot, and by horseback.

After the expedition, Lewis and Clark and the other members traveled back to Washington after the expedition as the
towns held special events to welcome their return. Lewis tried to publish the journals that Clark wrote dduring the
expedition.

Activity Description of Activities and Setting Time

Have the students begin by thinking about what the Lewis and Clark
expedition was and the reason for it. Ask: “Does anyone know what the
Lewis and Clark expedition is?” “What was the reason Lewis and Clark went
1. Focus and Review out west?”

2. Statement of Objective
for Student
3. Teacher Input
Have the students brainstorm the first question and write what they think in
their social studies journal, then allow students to share out their answers.
“Today, you are going to explore what the Lewis and Clark expedition was and
the main objectives that go along with it and create an interactive timeline to
sequence the events.”
The teacher will draw a timeline on the board and label the months August
through December. The teacher will have different cards of different event
that happened in during the expedition in 1803 and organize them on the
timeline by month and date.

The teacher will read out the card and ask the students if they have a
suggestion as to where it goes on the timeline. After each month has an
event, the teacher will ask the students if they think they are all in the correct
order.
 As the teacher is putting the events on the timeline, he/she will explain that
interactive timelines are in chronological order and explain a sequence of
events in the order they happen.
The teacher will have the students get in groups of 3 and explore the
objectives and events in during 1804 and 1805 in the Lewis and Clark
Expedition. The students will use the website provided and any other site
they find on their chrome books to create a timeline. The teacher will tell the
students to research these two years and pick out what they think are the
4. Guided Practice
important parts that everyone needs to know and put them in chronological
order on a timeline. Each group needs to have at least 10 important events.

After the groups have created their timeline, the teacher will have each group
share out 3 things they found, give the date, and the reason they chose that.
The students will be exploring the last year of the Lewis and Clark expedition
during 1806. The students will be creating a timeline in their social studies
journal just like they did in their groups, but this time they will be doing it
independently. Each students needs to have at least 5 different events on
their timeline.
5. Independent Practice
After the students have independently created a timeline in their journal, the
teacher can ask if any student found something they think everyone else
should know and add to their timeline. If any student does, the teacher can
have the student share out and write it on the board so everyone else can
add it to their timeline in their journal.
The students will be informally assessed based on what events and objectives they asdd to
6. Assessment Methods of
their timeline. The students will also have an exit ticket that they will need to complete
all objectives/skills:
and turn in to be formally assessed.
The students will each take out a blank sheet of paper to answer the two
questions about the Lewis and Clark expedition and interactive timelines. The
two questions will be:
1. What is an interactive timeline and how does it help you as a student
7. Closure
understand the important events of something?
2. What was the purpose of the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Bonus: Give one interesting fact you learned.

Targeted Students Modifications/Accommodations: Student/Small Group Modifications/Accommodations:

English language learners: Struggling readers:

Students who are English language learners can work
with a student who speaks the same language or write
in their native language.
Autism Spectrum:
Students who are struggling readers can work with higher
performing students to better understand the events.
Academically/Intellectually Gifted:
These students can give an explanation about what they think
The teacher will ensure that if the student with autism would be different about today if the Lewis and Clark
is in the classroom that he is placed in a group with expedition never happened.
higher level students. The teacher can also give the
student a print out of a timeline and let the student Early Finishers:
research on his chrome books to fill in the events. Students who finish early will be asked to add 5 more things to
their timeline.

Materials/Technology:
(Include any instructional materials (e.g., worksheets, assessments PowerPoint/Smart Board slides, etc.) needed to
implement the lesson at the end of the lesson plan.):
Link to the online resource: https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/, social studies journal, cards with events on them

References:

Reflection:

My overall strengths of the lesson were the way it flowed together, and I gradually released the students to the
independent practice. The students were clear on what they were doing because I modeled the instruction and what I
expected, worked through the same task alongside them, and then let them individually complete it. Most of the time I
was teaching, my clinical teacher was in and out of the room dealing with a situation with one of the students, so I was
able to hold the classroom management without the main teacher in the classroom. I think that is a big strength because
the basis of all lessons and classroom structure is how you manage the class. If you cannot hold classroom management,
the students will get out-of-hand and things will not go as planned.

A weakness I experienced was something I knew would be a weakness going into the lesson. My lesson was on the Lewis
and Clark expedition, which the students had never been introduced to before, so I was the first person to introduce it to
them. I am not familiar with the Lewis and Clark expedition, or at least I do not think I was familiar enough to introduce
the topic and have the students ask questions. It is important for the teacher to educated on what they are teaching, but
unfortunately my clinical teacher did not give me my topic of what I was teaching until 3 days before my lesson, which
gave me little time to prepare.

I learned that student-centered teaching is a great way for the students to learn because they are the ones exploring and
learning the new concepts so having them lead is a great way. I also learned that teaching is a learning profession. You
learn throughout the day things that work and things that do not work. I taught both reading and social studies the day I
taught my lesson, and the two lessons were right after one another. I taught social studies first and then reading, and I
was able to use things I learned from mistakes during my social studies lesson and implement those corrections in my
reading lesson.

In the future, I think this would be a great way to start a unit on something like the Lewis and Clark expedition, because
it gives the students a chance to explore the topic themselves first and gain some prior knowledge before diving into it as
a whole unit. I would for sure teach this lesson again and use this lesson for other topics as well, but as a teacher, I would
make sure I was well educated on the topic and prepared for any questions the students have.