Unit 4 Lessons

1st Grade Families and Schools
Unit 4: How Do We Learn About the Past?
SS010401
Lesson 1
Lesson 1: Thinking About Time: Past, Present, Future

Big Ideas of the Lesson
History is the study of the past.

Past is something that has already happened.
Present is something that is happening right now.
Future is something that has not happened yet.
Lesson Abstract:
This lesson begins with students exploring the term history learning that history is the study of the
past. Using a 3-column chart labeled Past, Present, and Future, students learn that
kindergarten should go in the column labeled Past. Students are asked for ideas of what should
go in the next two columns. The teacher guides the students toward responses of first grade and
second grade to keep with the school theme. The process is repeated as students use the chart
to look at their life stages. Students complete their own three column chart, illustrating something
they liked to do in the past as a baby, something they like to do now, and something they think they
would like to do with in the future as a grown-up. Next, the teacher reads students the book
Pablos Tree. Students then identify the family members from the book. Next, students listen to the
book Birthday Presents. Students then compare the book to Pablos Tree. Students begin to make
text-to-self connections in a pair share activity where they tell about two of their birthdays.
Content Expectations
1 - H2.0.1: Demonstrate chronological thinking by distinguishing among past, present, and future
using family or school events.
1 - H2.0.3:
Investigate a family history for at least two generations, identifying various members
and their connections in order to tell a narrative about family life.
1 - H2.0.4:
Retell in sequence important ideas and details from stories about families or schools.
Common Core Standards

SL.1.2:
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information
presented orally or through other media.
SL.1. 6:
Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation, using correct
verb tenses to convey a sense of past, present, and future.
Integrated GLCEs
R.CM.01.01: Make text-to-self and text-to-text connections and comparisons by activating prior
knowledge and connecting personal knowledge and experience to ideas in text
through oral and written responses. (English Language Arts)
Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum
www.micitizenshipcurriculum.org
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Lesson 1
Key Concepts
chronology
history
Instructional Resources
Equipment/Manipulative
Overhead projector or Document Camera/Projector
Student journal or notebook
Student Resource
Mora, Pat. Pablos Tree. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1994.
Rylant, Cynthia. Birthday Presents. New York: Orchard Books, 1987.
Teacher Resource
Teitler, Joanne. Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 1). Teacher-made material. Michigan
Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum, 2010.
Lesson Sequence
1. Write the term history on the board. Explain that history is the study of the past or things that
have already happened.
2. Create a 3-column chart labeled Past, Present, and Future. Ask students what the word
present means explaining that the word has several meanings (as a noun, it means a gift; as
a verb, it can mean a performance; and as an adjective, it can mean now existing or in
progress). Guide the students to understanding that when we talk about time, present means
current or now. Then ask what the word future means. Guide them to understand that future
means something that has not yet happened. Write the word kindergarten in the column
labeled Past and ask the students for ideas as to what should go in the other two columns.
Guide students toward first grade and second grade to keep with the school theme.
3. Repeat the process by writing the word baby in the first column and ask students to help fill in
the other two columns based upon life stages (child, adult).
4. Ask students to think about things they liked to do in the past. Give students a copy of the 3column chart, located in the (Supplemental Materials, Unit 4 Lesson 1). Ask them to draw a
picture of something they liked to do in the past in the column labeled Past.
5. Ask students to think about things they like to do now. Ask them to draw a picture of it in the
column labeled Present.
6. Ask students to think about things they might like to do in the future when they are grown up.
Ask them to draw a picture of it in the column labeled Future.
7. Students listen to the story, Pablos Tree by Pat Mora. Guide students in retelling the story in
sequence by asking What is the story of Pablos tree? How did it all begin?
Possible answers include:
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SS010401
Lesson 1
Pablos mother told his grandfather that she was going to adopt a baby.
Pablos grandfather bought a small tree.
Pablos grandfather planted the tree the first time he saw Pablo
Every year, on Pablos birthday, his grandfather decorated the tree.
8. Ask students: How did Pablos grandfather decorate the tree in the past? Guide students to
answer in sequence.
Possible answers include:
On his 1st birthday, his grandfather hung streamers on the tree.
On his 2nd birthday, his grandfather tied balloons on the tree.
On his 3rd birthday, his grandfather put paper lanterns on the tree.
On his 4th birthday, his grandfather put birdcages all over the tree.
9. Ask students: How did Pablos grandfather decorate the tree this year? Answers include:
He put bells and chimes on the tree.
10. Ask students: How do you think Pablos grandfather will decorate the tree in the future? Allow
students to speculate what will happen in the future.
11. Tell students that now they will hear another story about a family celebrating several birthdays
through the years. Students listen to the book Birthday Presents by Cynthia Rylant.
12. Ask students: How were these two stories alike? Possible answers might include that they
were about:
families.
celebrating birthdays.
how a boy or girl celebrated their birthday in the past.
how children celebrated their birthdays every year.
Guide students in understanding that both of the books kept track of time and explored the
past by describing the birthdays of a child.
13. Ask students to think of two birthdays that were special to them. Have them turn to their
partner or the student next to them. Ask students to share their special birthday memories with
their partner. If time permits, allow several pair to share their memories with the class.
14. If your class is completing the Social Studies Vocabulary Notebook, ask the students to take
out their notebooks. Give the students one copy of word cards #1 - #4, and the corresponding
notebook pages from the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 1). Tell students to draw a
picture for each page and write a word to describe the meaning of the word
Assessment
An assessment where students identify something that happened in the past, present, and future
has been included in the Supplemental Materials (Lesson 1, Unit 4).

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Lesson 2
Lesson 2: How Calendars Measure Time

A calendar is a tool for measuring time in days, weeks, and months of the year.
A month is one of twelve parts of the year shown on a calendar.
Lesson Abstract:
This lesson begins with the teacher showing students a calendar and reviewing how the calendar
is organized. Then, returning to the 3-column chart used in Lesson 1, the teacher shows students
the current month on the calendar and writes that month under Present. This process is repeated
with the previous month and the upcoming month. The teacher shares the book When This Box is
Full or a similar book. The class discusses how the girl in the story chooses an object representing
each month and places it into a box. The teacher then explains that the little girl has created a
history box of objects that show one years passage of time. On chart paper, the teacher lists all
the months in a year. The class brainstorms a list of items or events associated with each month
of the year.
1 - H2.0.2: Use a calendar to distinguish among days, weeks, and months.
SL.1.2:
Key Concepts
calendar
chronology
month
A 12-month Calendar
Chart paper and markers
Student Resource
Lillie, Patricia. When This Box is Full. New York: Scholastic, 1993.
Teacher Resource
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Lesson 2
Teacher Note: This lesson can be moved to the beginning of the year and used when calendar is
introduced. In this case, the class can create a history box of their own by placing an item in the
box each month. If the lesson is used in this way, it would be important to review the structure and
purpose of a calendar as part of this history unit.
Lesson Sequence
1. Review the concept that history is the study of the past.
2. Show students a calendar. Review how the calendar is organized (7 days in a week, 12
months in a year, etc.) Explain to students that a calendar is a way for us to keep track of time
in the form of days, weeks, months, and years.
3. Using the current day, ask students if today is in the past, present, or future. Guide students to
understand that today is in the present.
4. Show students the previous day on the calendar. Ask students if yesterday is in the past or
future. Guide students to understand that yesterday is a day in the past.
5. Point out the next day, tomorrow on the calendar. Guide students to understand that tomorrow
is a day in the future.
6. Write the words yesterday, today, and tomorrow on the 3-column chart from Lesson 1 in
the appropriate column.
7. Show students the current month on the calendar. Using the 3-column chart from Lesson 1,
write the name of the current month in the Present column. Explain that this month is the
present.
8. Show students the previous month on the calendar. Using the 3-column chart from Lesson 1,
write the name of that month in the Past column. Explain that last month is in the past.
9. Show students the upcoming month on the calendar. Using the 3-column chart from Lesson 1,
write the name of that month in the Future column. Explain that next month is in the future
10. Read the book, When This Box Is Full by Patricia Little.
11. After reading the book, ask students: How did the girl in the story choose the objects she put in
the box?
Possible answers might include:
She chose things that made her think of different months of the year.
She chose something different for each month to show a whole year.
The things she put in the box recorded the year as it went along.
12. On chart paper, list all of the months of the year. Explain to students that there are 12 months in
a year.
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Lesson 2
13. Ask students to brainstorm a list of items or events associated with each month of the year.
Write down the students ideas beside the appropriate month.
out their notebooks. Give the students one copy of Word Cards #5 - #6, and the corresponding
picture for each page and write a word that describes the term.
Assessment
A lesson assessment has been included in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 2) in which
students identify days, weeks, and months on a calendar. Students also classify the terms
yesterday, today, and tomorrow as past, present, or future.

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SS010403
Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Learning About the Past

Every person and every family has a past.

Historical evidence from photographs, people, artifacts, and documents can tell stories about
the past.
An artifact is an object created by people that helps us understand the past.
Lesson Abstract:
This lesson uses the teachers own family history to introduce students to historical evidence.
Before the lesson, the teacher creates a large chart labeled: How We Learn About the Past. The
lesson begins with the teacher showing photographs of themselves as a young child and adds the
word photographs to the chart. Next, the teacher shares a childhood story and adds the term
people and stories to the chart. The teacher then shares an artifact from their past such as a
childhood toy and adds the term artifacts to the chart, explaining the term in simple words. A
historical document from the teachers past, such as a report card or a birth certificate is shared
and the phrase written documents to the chart. Finally, the teacher guides students in drawing
conclusions about the past based on the objects and information they provided. Students
recognize that everyone has a past and that we learn about the past with historical evidence.
.
1 - H2.0.5: Use historical records and artifacts (e.g., photos, diaries, oral histories, and videos) to
draw possible conclusions about family or school life in the past.
RL1. 7:
Use pictures, illustrations, and details in a story to describe characters, events, or
settings. (If using book suggested in the Teacher Note below)
SL.1.2:
SL.1. 6:
Key Concepts
artifact
historical evidence
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Lesson 3
Student Resource
Blumenthal, Deborah. Aunt Claires Yellow Beehive Hair. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing
Company, Inc., 2007.
Teacher Resource
Teitler, Joanne. Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 3).Teacher-made material. Michigan
Teacher Note: Prior to the lesson, find a photograph of yourself as a young child, a favorite
childhood toy (or an image of one), and your birth certificate or old report card. These will be used
during the lesson to help students understand that we gather historical evidence from photographs,
people, artifacts, and historical documents to tell a story about the past. If you do not have access
to these personal items with your students, there are many examples of gathering historical
evidence in the book, Aunt Claires Yellow Beehive Hair. Use examples from the story whenever
personal items from the teacher are called for.
Lesson Sequence
1. Begin the lesson by review with students that history is the study of the past. Read the book,
Aunt Claires Yellow Beehive Hair by Deborah Blumenthal. Read to the end of page 5 (I want
to reach into the past and bring them closer to me). Ask students: What does the girl in the
story want to do? Possible answers should include:
She wants to learn about people in her family.
She wants to learn about her familys past.
2. Continue reading, stopping at the end of page 7. Ask students: What does Grandma Marilyn
mean when she talks about family memorabilia? Possible answers should include:
She means things that they can find that belonged to people in the family.
She said that family memorabilia are things that help you remember the past.
Pictures, letters, passports, pressed flowers, and wedding lace are family
memorabilia.
3. Explain to students that the girl and her grandmother are looking for historical evidence to tell a
story about the past. Tell students to act as detectives studying the past and listen for more
historical evidence through the story.
4. After finishing the story, ask students to recall the types of historical evidence the little girl and
her grandmother found. Create a list on the board or chart paper. As the list is created, ask
students to classify the evidence as artifact, document, or photograph. Possible answers might
include;
Aunt Claires purple hair ribbon (artifact)
Uncle Charlies war medal (artifact)
A photo of Uncle Charlie (photograph)
A photo of Great-Grandma Sophie (photograph)
Great-Grandma Sophies wedding veil (artifact)
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Lesson 3
A photo of Great-Grandpa Louis (photograph)

Grandma Marilyns wedding bouquet (artifact)
Old letters (written document)
5. Show students the chart labeled: How We Learn About the Past; located in the Supplemental
Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 3). Show students a photograph of yourself as a young child (or
show page 12 from the storythe photograph of Great Grandma Sophie). Ask students what
they notice about the photograph that shows the past. Guide students to express what they
observe from the photograph, and what this information could tell them about the past. Write
the term photograph on the chart.
6. Share a childhood story with the students (or reread page 9 from the bookthe story of Aunt
Claire). Explain that people can tell stories about the past. Identify a teacher (or principal) that
has been at the school more than two years. Ask students to think of what questions they could
ask the teacher if they wanted to learn about the school before they began school. Add the term
people on the chart. Guide students in using the correct verb tenses in their questions.
7. Show students an artifact from your past such as a childhood toy (or show pages 10-11 from
the book, pointing out Uncle Charlies war medal). Explain an artifact is a man-made object
that gives information about how people lived in the past. Ask students to think about
something they have at home that would be an artifact. Follow up students responses by
discussing how these artifacts may give information about how children lived in the year 2010
(or whatever year it is). The toy (or Uncle Charlies war medal) are artifacts. Add the term
artifacts to the chart.
8. Show students an historical document from your past such as a report card or birth certificate
(or reread page 20 of the bookpointing out the passage: We use clues like dates and
backgrounds and notes in scrolly, faded handwriting on the borders of dried-out yellow letters-)
Explain that written records such as report cards, birth certificates, or letters give us information
about the past. Add the term written documents to the chart.
9. Guide students in drawing some conclusions about the past based upon these objects and the
information they provide.
Possible conclusions:
Photographs show how people looked in the past.
Stories people tell give us information about the past.
Artifacts show us things people made and used in the past. These things can be
different or similar to the things we use now.
Written documents give us information about events in the past.
We gather historical evidence from photographs, people, artifacts, and historical
documents to tell a story about the past.
10. Explain to students that every person and every family has a past. Ask students to think about
something about their familys past. Give them the My Familys Past worksheet from
Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 3). Ask them to finish the sentence: In the past, my
family and draw a picture to illustrate their sentence.
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Lesson 3
out their notebooks. Give the students one copy of Word Cards #7 - #8, and the corresponding
picture for each page and write a word that describes the term.
Assessment
Assess the students understanding that every person and every family has a past by listening to
their responses while discussing the story. The In the past, my family worksheet can be used
as a written assessment of their understanding of the past.

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SS010404
Lesson 4
Lesson 4: Families Have a Past

People lived differently in the past than we do now.

We can learn about the past from people and their pictures.
Photographs of families can tell us about family life in the past.
By examining family photographs, we can find evidence about family life in the past.
Lesson Abstract:
This lesson begins with the teacher displaying a photo of a parent or grandparent, and sharing the
story behind the photograph. After the teacher explains the photograph provides information about
the family from the past, students then share a photograph from their own familys past. The
teacher guides students in comparing the photographs and sequencing them in order of time.
Students are given a sentence starter: My photo shows. Students are asked to tell the story of
their photograph. The teacher poses the question: How do we know these photographs took place
in the past? Next, the class uses a T-Chart to track historical evidence from the book When I was
Young in the Mountains or a similar book from the past.
1 - H2.0.3:
Investigate a family history for at least two generations, identifying various members
and their connections in order to tell a narrative about family life.
1 - H2.0.6:
Compare life today with life in the past using the criteria of family, school, jobs, or
communication.

RL1. 7:
settings.
SL.1.2:
SL.1. 6:
L.1. 1.d:
Observe conventions of grammar and usage.

d. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future in writing and speaking
(e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).

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Lesson 4
Integrated Expectations
R.NT.01.04: Identify how authors/ illustrators use literary devices including illustrations to support
story elements and transitional words including before, after, now, and finally to
indicate a sequence of events and sense of story. (English Language Arts)
Key Concepts
family
history
Student Resource
Blumenthal, Deborah. Aunt Claires Yellow Beehive Hair. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing
Company, Inc., 2007.
Rylant, Cynthia. When I Was Young in the Mountains. New York: Puffin, 1982.
Teacher Resource
Teacher Note: Prior to teaching this lesson, send home a letter to parents asking for each child to
bring in a copy of a historic family photograph and include a description of the photo explaining
who is in the photo, where it was taken, the approximate date, etc. (A sample letter can be found in
Supplemental Materials Unit 4, Lesson 4).
Lesson Sequence
1. Review the meaning of history and to learn about the past we study historical evidence like
artifacts, photographs, stories, and documents. This evidence shows how people lived in the
past.
2. Show students a photograph of your parents or grandparents and tell the story behind the
photograph. If you do not have a family photograph, choose one of the photographs from Aunt
Claires Yellow Beehive Hair from the previous lesson. (Uncle Charlie on page 11 or GreatGrandma Sophie on page 13) and read the story behind their photographs.
3. Explain to the students that a photograph is a piece of evidence of a family history. Family
histories include our own family, our parents family when they were kids, our grandparents
family when they were kids and so on.
4. Ask students to share the family photographs they have brought from home. Give students the
sentence starter My photo shows and encourage them to tell who is in the photo, where it
was taken, the approximate date, and any other details they know about the photo and family
members in it.
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Lesson 4
5. After students have shared their photographs and told their stories, select a few (3-5) of the
photographs to sequence in chronological order. Be sure to select pictures that are noticeably
different in terms of when they were taken. The teacher should be able to explain to students
the reasons why he/she think one picture preceded the others in terms of time. Some hints
may include objects in the picture, style of clothing, age of student in the photograph, quality of
the picture, etc.
6. Ask students, How do we know that these photographs were taken in the past? Possible
answers might include:
The clothes the people are wearing look different from what we wear now.
The women have different hair styles than we do now,
The pictures show some things we do not use now.
The pictures show ways of transportation that we do not use now.
Furniture in the pictures looks different than in our house now.
Guide the students in the understanding that photographs show evidence of the past.
7. For extension, ask students to think about the order you placed the photographs in Step 6.
Explain the hints that enabled you to make an educated guess that some of the pictures were
older than others. Suggest a few reasons, pointing out the differences in the pictures to
students. Then ask students to see if they can find the clues that you used to decide the order
of two other pictures.
8. Introduce the book, When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant. Explain to
students that they will act as historians (people who study history) and look for evidence or
clues that the story took place in the past.
9. After finishing the story, turn to the dedication page. Ask students Are the objects shown in
this picture from the present or the past? Answers should include:
The things look old.
There is a lamp in the picture.
Affirm the students answers that these objects are from the past. The picture shows things
that were used in the past such as the oil lamp.
10. Show students the T-Chart chart labeled: From Pictures and From People located in the
Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 4). Write the word oil lamp in the column labeled
From Pictures since that is where we found the evidence that the story takes place in the past.
11. Turn the page, and read the phrase when I was young. Guide students in understanding that
the phrase when I was young indicates that the author is writing about the past. Add this
phrase to the From People column explaining that this too is evidence the story takes place in
the past. Continue through the book, adding pictures or phrases to the evidence chart. Point
out to students that authors use words to show sequence, words like after, next, long ago.
Explain that these words help to show the order or sequence of events.

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Lesson 4
12. After finishing the book, show students a second T-Chart labeled Past and Present, located in
the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 4). Say to students Lets look for more evidence of
how people lived in the past. Turn to pages 11-12. See if students can identify the water
pump as evidence of the past. Guide them to the evidence if necessary. Add the words
outside pump to the column labeled Past.
13. Ask students How do we get water now? Possible answers include:
We turn on the water in the kitchen.
We can turn on water in the bathroom.
We get water from a faucet inside the house.
Add the words faucet inside our house to the Present side of the chart.
14. Guide students in comparing more examples of differences between the past and the present
using illustrations from the book and continue completion of the T-Chart. Include things like the
swimming hole, the illustrations of the store where they buy butter, warming water for baths in
the kitchen, outhouses, wooden stoves, a knife as a pencil sharpener, etc,
Assessment
A lesson assessment in which students read a sentence and decide if it the sentence takes place
in the past, present, or future and compare something from the past with something from the
present has been included in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 4).

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Lesson 5
Lesson 5: Schools Have a Past

We learn about the past from people and pictures.

Schools were different in the past.
Schools have changed over time.
Lesson Abstract:
This lesson uses the context of a school to compare schools today and schools in the past using
informational text. It begins with the teacher sharing photographs depicting the past of the
students own school. Next, the teacher shares informational text, Schools Then and Now by
Robin Nelson, showing how schools have changed. As the book is read, the class helps the
teacher complete a Past/Present T-chart. The teacher guides students to recognize whether they
obtained the information from the text or the illustrations.
1 - H2.0.6: Compare life today with life in the past using the criteria of family, school, jobs, or
communication.
RI.1.6:
Distinguish between information provided by pictures or illustrations and that provided
by the words in a text.
SL.1.2:
SL.1. 6:
L.1. 1.d:
Observe conventions of grammar and usage.

d. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future in writing and speaking
(e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home).
Key Concepts
history
school
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Lesson 5
Student Resource
Nelson, Robin. School Then and Now (First Step Nonfiction) Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications,
2003.
Teacher Resource
Teacher Note: Prior to teaching this lesson, locate historical pictures and anecdotal stories of your
school. These can be obtained from old school yearbooks, other staff members, an historical
society, etc. Be certain to find information including when the school was built, what the land was
like before the school was built, changes made to the school, etc. If you have the time and
resources available, you could invite someone who attended the school in the past to share their
experiences with the students.
Lesson Sequence
1. Remind students that they have learn about the past from people and pictures. Show students
the historical photographs of their school and tell the story behind the photographs. (Note, if
you cannot locate images of your school, use the images from the past of school buildings,
classrooms, and playgrounds found in the graphic organizer, located in the Supplemental
Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 5).
2. Briefly describe to students the schools past, including when the school was built, what the
land was like before the school was built, changes to the school, etc. Be sure give students
some explanation of how you found the information.
3. Explain to students that they will now listen to (or read, if the book can be displayed) a story
that compares school from the past to school from the present. Read the book, School Then
and Now by Robin Nelson. Ask students to listen for examples of past and present as the book
is read.
4. After finishing the book, display the T-Chart labeled Past and Present, located in the
Supplemental Materials (Unit 5, Lesson 5). Have students brainstorm examples of what school
was like in the past and add them to our chart. If students need prompting, turn to pages 4-5.,
and read Long ago, children had to walk many miles to school. Add the words walk many
miles to school to the column labeled Past. Ask students how children who live far away get
to school now, in the present. Add the words take buses to school to the Present column on
the chart.
5. Guide students in identifying more examples of differences between the past and the present
using illustrations from the book. As students suggest examples, guide them to recognize
whether the information was obtained from the text or from the illustrations (or pictures) by
asking How do you know?
Assessment
An assessment in which students complete a sentence stem relating to school in the past and
present has been included in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4, Lesson 5).
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Lesson 6
Lesson 6: Celebrating Events and People of the Past

National holidays are special days celebrated in our country.

Many national holidays are celebrations of events that happened in the past.
Many national holidays celebrate people who lived in the past.
People are honored with national holidays because they made the United States a better
country.
Lesson Abstract:
In this lesson, students explore how some holidays are celebrations of people and events of the
past. The lesson begins with a discussion of the concept of holidays and the creation of a class list
of holidays celebrated by students. Next, the teacher reviews the two books used in Lesson One:
Birthday Presents and Pablos Tree. With the teachers guidance, students conclude that the two
books are alike in that they both talk about a childs past and they both deal with birthday
celebrations. The teacher then explains that we celebrate the birthday of our country on July 4th
and unlike family birthdays; this is a birthday that everyone in the country celebrates. Using the
book, Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney, or a similar book, and their own experiences, students
discuss different ways people celebrate this national holiday. Students understand that sometimes
national holidays like July 4th, or Independence Day, are celebrations of things that happened in the
past. Students also learn that some national holidays celebrate people who lived in the past.
Using the book Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. or a similar book, the class then explores
how and why we celebrate people of the past. Students conclude that people who are
remembered by celebrating national holidays are people who made the United States a better
country.
1 - H2.0.7: Identify the events or people celebrated during United States national holidays and
why we celebrate them (e.g., Independence Day, Constitution Day, Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day; Presidents Day).
RL1. 7:
settings.
SL.1.2:
SL.1. 6:

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Lesson 6
Key Concepts
country
history
national holidays
Drawing paper
Student Resources
Kimmelman, Leslie. Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney. New York: Albert Whitman & Company,
2003.
Marzollo, Jean. Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Scholastic Bookshelf, 2006.
Mora, Pat. Pablos Tree. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1994.
Rylant, Cynthia. Birthday Presents. New York: Orchard Books, 1987.
Teacher Resource
Lesson Sequence
1. Ask students how we learn about the past. Explain that in our country we also honor the past
by celebrating national holidays. Guide students to understand that holidays are celebrations of
people and events from the past.
2. Using the chart labeled Holidays Our Families Celebrate located in Supplemental Materials
(Unit 4, Lesson 6). Brainstorm with students holidays that they celebrate with their family.
Record their ideas on the chart.
Christmas
Halloween
Diwali
Hanukkah
Ramadan
Kwanzaa
4th of July
Family birthdays
Chinese New Year
3. Hold up the books used in Lesson One: Birthday Presents by Cynthia Rylant and Pablos Tree
by Pat Mora. Ask the students, Who remembers what these stories were about?
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November 2, 2010

SS010406
Lesson 6

Pablos Tree was about a little boy.
Birthday Presents was about a little girl.
Pablos Tree was about a grandfather who decorated a special tree every year to
celebrate a little boys birthday
Birthday Presents was about a mom and a dad telling a little girl about how they
celebrated her birthday every year.
Conclude with, or guide students in understanding that the two books were alike in that
both books were about a childs past and they both dealt with birthday celebrations.
4. Explain to students that the birthday of the United States is celebrated on July 4 th. Ask students
how this birthday celebration is different from their own birthday celebration. Discuss with
students how their families celebrate the 4th of July.
5. Read the book, Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney by Leslie Kimmelman.
6. Ask the students, What are some ways the people in the story celebrated the 4 th of July?
Jenny Sweeney washes her dog
Mrs. Berger hangs up flags.
Fireman Mike washes the fire truck.
Quentin goes fishing.
The Dalal family is proud to be new Americans.
Arjun runs through the sprinkler.
Lisa twirls her baton.
Luis salutes the flag.
Mr. Jonas puts on his army uniform.
Mayor Swanson writes a speech.
The Hill family has a picnic barbeque.
Katie plays her piccolo.
Jenny puts a red ribbon on her dog.
Emma makes a float.
Jimmy Yang drinks lemonade.
Everyone watches a parade.
Jenny Sweeney watches fireworks at night.
Again, ask students about their own celebrations in case the story has reminded them of other
ways. Possible answers:
.
We watch fireworks.
We watch a parade.
We have a barbecue with all our relatives from far away.
We travel to Grandmas house.
We put up a flag.
We have a picnic
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SS010406
Lesson 6
7. Explain to students that national holidays like the 4th of July, or Independence Day, celebrate
people or events that happened in the past.
8. Give each student a large piece of drawing paper. Instruct them to fold the paper in half and
draw a line down the middle of the paper to create two sections. Ask students to draw an
illustration of a 4th of July celebration in the first section. Above their drawing, have students
write, We celebrate things that happen in the past.
9. Ask students if they can think of any national holidays that celebrate people who have lived in
the past.
10. Read the book, Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jean Marzollo. Discuss the book with
students. Ask them why they think there is a national holiday to remember Dr. King.
11. After reading the book, have students draw an illustration of Dr. King in the second section of
the drawing paper. Above their drawing, have students write, We celebrate people of the
past. Explain that people are honored with national holidays because they made the United
States a better place to live.
Assessment
Assess the students understanding of national holidays that are celebrated to commemorate
events in the past and national holidays that are celebrated to honor people who lived in the past
by observing their illustrations on the 2-sectioned paper. Listening to student responses as the
class discusses holidays, can give further insight into their understanding of the concepts taught.

Page 4 of 4
November 2, 2010

Unit 4 Lessons

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Unit 4 Lessons

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1st Grade Families and Schools

Unit 4: How Do We Learn About the Past?

Lesson 1: Thinking About Time: Past, Present, Future

History is the study of the past.

Common Core Standards

1st Grade Families and Schools

1st Grade Families and Schools

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

Lesson 2: How Calendars Measure Time

1st Grade Families and Schools

1st Grade Families and Schools

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

Lesson 3: Learning About the Past

Every person and every family has a past.

1st Grade Families and Schools

1st Grade Families and Schools

A photo of Great-Grandpa Louis (photograph)

1st Grade Families and Schools

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

Lesson 4: Families Have a Past

People lived differently in the past than we do now.

Common Core Standards

Observe conventions of grammar and usage.

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

1st Grade Families and Schools

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

Lesson 5: Schools Have a Past

We learn about the past from people and pictures.

Observe conventions of grammar and usage.

1st Grade Families and Schools

1st Grade Families and Schools

Lesson 6: Celebrating Events and People of the Past

National holidays are special days celebrated in our country.

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

1st Grade Families and Schools

1st Grade Families and Schools

Possible answers might include:

1st Grade Families and Schools

Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum

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