Unit Plan 19 (Grade 1 Social Studies): Our Daily Timeline
Help students sequence daily events using time words like first, next, last, yesterday, today, and tomorrow while creating simple visual timelines of their routines.
Focus: Help students sequence daily events and use simple time words like first, next, and last (and yesterday/today/tomorrow) to describe routines at home and school. Students will build and read visual timelines of their day and the class day, learning that events have an order.
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Social Studies (History • Routines & Time Concepts)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students learn that their lives follow a time order each day. They explore how we can show “what happens when” by making timelines of familiar routines, such as the school day or their bedtime routine. Through stories, picture cards, and simple charts, students practice using temporal words like first, next, and last, as well as yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The week ends with students creating and sharing a personal daily timeline.
Essential Questions
- How do we know what happens first, next, and last in our day?
- Why is it helpful to put events in order?
- How can timelines help us tell stories about our day or our school?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Name and sequence at least three events from their school day or home routine.
- Use temporal words like first, next, and last when talking about daily events.
- Use yesterday, today, and tomorrow correctly in simple sentences about their experiences.
- Create a simple 3–5 step timeline (with pictures and labels) showing an ordered set of events.
- Explain their personal or class daily timeline to a partner or group.
Standards Alignment — 1st Grade (C3-based custom)
- 1.C3.Hist.1 — Sequence events and use temporal words (yesterday/today/tomorrow; first/next/last).
- Example: Order a typical school day with a 3-step timeline.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can put events from my day in order.
- I can use first, next, and last when I talk about my day.
- I can tell something that happened yesterday, something happening today, and something that will happen tomorrow.
- I can make a timeline with pictures and labels that shows my day from first to last.