BUILDING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TIMELINES

Building Knowledge Through Timelines by Rachel Walton

I.

Lesson Plan Overview and Description

1. Expected duration: 2 days (1 hour = day 1/30 minutes = day 2)
2. Social Sciences: This lesson focuses on the history of Brazil while briefing touching
on the countrys military, economy, government and social issues.
3. Concepts (Big Ideas): The concept of this lesson is that Brazil had to work very hard
to gain independence from corrupt governments.
4. Vocabulary
Abdicated Stepped down, as from throne or rule.
Coup Take over.
Democracy Government run by the people.
Nomadic No fixed home but wanders from place to place.
Parliament A group of people who have some power and give advisement to a
ruler or emperor.
Republic Presidents lead the country, not the military or a king.
5. Skills: Children will develop the skill of making a timeline. This skill will make the
concept and information easier to access.
6. Broad Goals of Lesson: Students will make a cohesive timeline that can be used as a
resource when knowledge needs to be used.

II.

Content Outline
A. Brazil is the only Latin American nation that derives its language and culture from
Portugal.
B. The native inhabitants are mostly nomadic, no fixed home but moves around a lot,
American Indians.
C. Pedro Alvares Cabral claimed the territory for Portugal in 1500.
i.Portugal began colonization in 1532 and became a royal colony in 1549.
D. The settlers found gold in 1695.
E. While Napoleon was trying to conquer the world for France in the early 1800s the
Portugal king, Joo VI, seeked refuge in Brazil.
i. When Joo went back, he left his son in charge of the colony.
F. When Portugal tried to gain back control of Brazil the son declared independence on
September 7, 1822. He became the first emperor, Pedro I. The emperor started a
parliament, a group of people who have some power and give advisement to the
emperor.
G. In 1831, the parliament was not pleased with the way he ruled the country and forced
Pedro I to step down.
i. Pedro I left the throne to his five-year-old son, Pedro II, who started his reign in
1840.
H. The son was a popular monarch, but discontent built up, and in 1889, following a
military revolt, he abdicated, or stepped down.
i. This began a true republic (presidents lead the country, not the military or a
king).
I. After a military coup, or take over, in 1964, Brazil had a series of military
governments.

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TIMELINES

J. One of the initiatives of the 70s was the Trans-Amazonian highway, which was to
encourage the population to move inward toward the Amazon.
i. This endangered a lot of native animals.
K. General and President Joo Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo pledged a return to
democracy, government run by the people, in 1985, which was successful.
L. In January 1999, the Asian economic crisis spread to Brazil. Former finance minister,
President Cardoso was highly praised by the international community for quickly
turning around his country's economic crisis.
i. These efforts were helpful in the immediate moment, but the economy remained
sluggish throughout 2001.
M. In October 2010's presidential elections, Dilma Rousseff, a former chief of staff to the
previous president, defeated Jos Serra to become the country's first woman
president.
i. She narrowly won her re-election race in 2014.
ii. Rousseff faced the task of improving the country's education, health, and
sanitation systems.
III.

Standards
PDE SAS Standards PA Civics, History, Geography;
NCSS Thematic Strands and Performance Indicators
1. Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System
Subject Area 8: History
Standard Area 8.1: Historical Analysis and Skills Development
Grade Level 8.1.3: GRADE 3
Standard 8.1.3.A: Identify the difference between past, present and
future using timelines and/or other graphic representations.
Standard Area 8.4: World History
Grade Level 8.3.3: GRADE 3
Standard 8.4.3.D: Identify conflict and cooperation among groups and
organizations from around the world.
2. PDE Common Core
N/A
3. National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: Thematic Strands and Performance
Indicators
II.
Time, Continuity, & Change
b. Demonstrate an ability to use correctly vocabulary associated with
time such as past, present, future, and long ago; read and construct
simple timelines; identify examples of change; and recognize
examples of cause and effect relationships.
VI.
Power, Authority, & Governance
c. Give examples of how government does or does not provide for the
needs and wants of people, establish order and security, and manage
conflict.

IV.

Lesson Objectives

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TIMELINES

A. After lesson, students will produce a timeline of the history of Brazil in chronological
order.
B. After lesson, students will use the timeline appropriately when discussing the history
of Brazil.
C. After lesson, students will show their knowledge of the history of Brazil by discussing
Brazils independence from various different regimes.
V.

Teaching Procedures
1. Introduction/Anticipatory Set
i. Review the findings from yesterdays lesson on the geography of Brazil.
ii. Tell the students that today they are going to make a timeline. Ask the students if
anyone can explain what a timeline is. Make sure the students either already
understand what a timeline is or it is properly introduced. (A timeline is a tool a lot of
historians use to show the chronological history of a place, people or event)
iii. Show them the samples at the front of the room. Note how all of them have lines
and dates coming off of the main line. Also point out how there are not a lot of
writing but broad quick statements. The timeline will be of an article they are going to
read about the history of Brazil.
2. Lesson Input
i. Hand out the article. Explain to the children that they are to be looking for the big
key events in the history of Brazil from this article. Advise the class it may be a good
idea to highlight or underline possible events. Explain how Brazil had to fight for a
very long time to achieve a government that was thinking of the greater good of the
nation. This concept is what should be driving their timeline.
ii. Read the students the article as they follow along. At the end of each paragraph as
the students are hypothesizing what the key events are, help them toward these
important events. Does that event show how Brazil overcame a corrupt leader or
system? As the class begins to discern the key events write each on the board. Make
sure to place them scattered instead from top to bottom so the students have to put
them in chronological order.
3. Guided Practice
i. Give each student a piece of paper. Explain how they are going to make their own
timeline from the key events of the article. Point out to the children the various
examples of timelines at the front of the room (have a couple in varying complexity).
ii. Ask the students what they think the first step to making a timeline is (drawing a
line). Ask what other features were noted in the beginning (dates coming from line;
not a lot of writing). This should serve as a reminder to how to make an effective
timeline.
iii. Have the children begin making their timelines of the information, they may work
together with people at their table, but everyone must make a timeline. Walk around
and assist each student to be choosing the important events and explaining each event
concisely. If most of the class is not selecting the right events or not explaining in a
quick blurb, intervene and begin to make a timeline at the front of the room showing
how to take a large event and write a couple of words to remember it. Remind the
class while walking around, whether or not the intervention mentioned in the previous
sentence was implemented, that this timeline is a tool to refer to for information. It

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TIMELINES

should jog the memory of all the other details, not include these details on the
timeline.
iv. The next day, have put on the board a couple of questions pertaining to the article
and timeline. Examples: What kind of American Indians lived in Brazil before any
settlers arrived? What country settled in Brazil? How long was Brazil a colony?
What ruler was abdicated in 1831? Who overthrew him? How was Pedro II
abdicated in 1889? How long was Brazil a republic before a military coup? When
was democracy restored? What was the name of the first woman president in Brazil?
Lead a discussion with these questions in mind.
v. As the discussion ensues, emphasize the many attempts at a more effective form of
government. Note as the discussion unfolds how the students are doing with grasping
the concepts of the lesson: are they responding with the bare minimum to each
question; or are they responding with critical thoughts and deeper questions. Adjust
the discussion accordingly.
4. Independent Practice
i. Students will keep the timeline and refer to it in discussions about Brazil throughout
this unit without teacher prompts.
5. Differentiation
Lesson will be differentiated based on the specific learning and behavioral needs of
students in classroom, such as ELL, gifted (above level), and remediation (below
level).
6. Closure
i. Have everyone take a pencil to create a dashed curve through his or her timeline.
This curve will be above the line when Brazil had a positive and effective
government; the curve will be below the line when Brazil was under the authority of
someone not suited to be in power. This will provide yet another visual for the
students to see the troughs of time in Brazils history.
VI.

Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources

A. Student Reading Resources:
Brief History of Brazil written by Rachel Walton
Blank sheets of paper to make timelines
B. Teacher Resources for Lesson Design:
C. Evaluation of Teacher Resources:
Resource
Influence
3+ Characteristics
Accessibility
Title or
Significant
suggesting that the
Access for
Website
Influence (SI) or
source is a quality
teachers or
Address
Minor Influence
resource, reliable
others
(MI) in informing material
your thinking,
decisions about
the lesson plan
http://www. Significant
1) Provides a very in
Easily
factmonster. Influence
depth history of Brazil accessible
com/country
with lots of detail
typed into
2)
Written
at
a
higher
/brazil.html
Google

Overall Rating
and
Suggestions for
current, future
use of resource

4/5 Had to
adapt text for
grade level

BUILDING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH TIMELINES

grade level than third
so it needed to be
adapted
3) Provides a lot of
other statistical and
populace information
on the country
4) Well-organized
article

5
History of
Brazil and it
was on the
first page

VII.

Formative/Summative Assessment(s)
A. Formative Assessment
i. The teacher will observe and monitor the students discussion and debates
during the lesson input, guided practice, and independent practice and provide the
necessary changes to the lesson as needed.
B. Summative Assessment
i. The teacher will collect the graphic organizers once they are completed.

VIII.

Technology/Materials/Equipment
Copies of the articles (Inspired by
http://www.factmonster.com/country/brazil.html)
Blank sheets of paper for the timelines
Projection capabilities to a SmartBoard (or whiteboard) if possible
Reflection on Planning
I love this lesson. Education is preparing students for life outside of the structure of a
school setting. What educators should be doing for their students is providing them
with a collection of skills and strategies to overcome problems and organize
information in a thoughtful way. This lesson is showing students a tool that is helpful
for remembering the sequence of events. The likelihood that the students make a
timeline outside of school is pretty slim but the likelihood the students will need to
create a sequence of events or find the pattern of an experiment is quite high.
Instructing students how to make a timeline helps build this level of thinking. That is
why the discussion portion of the lesson is crucial. Any person can make a timeline.
What sorts out students that can think critically are the students that are completely
engaged in the discussion. I would absolutely use this lesson in my classroom,
especially since it can easily be translated to any other content area. The hardest part
of the lesson was writing the article. I used a website synopsis, which was far more
elaborate as my springboard. I took the information there and made a more grade
appropriate article for the class. This is what was by far the most time consuming part
of the lesson. The entire article is outlined in the content outline.

IX.