Days We Do Things

Overview

In this fourth lesson of “Hello, Changes Over Time,” students learn the seven days of the week and use calendar language to describe the order of events. Through song, movement, visuals, and a familiar classroom schedule, students practice identifying today, yesterday, and tomorrow with support.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Name or locate the seven days of the week.
• Describe the order of days using before and after.
• Identify today, yesterday, and tomorrow during a calendar routine.
• Use words, pointing, signing, or visual response cards to communicate an answer.

Success criteria

• I can name or find today on the calendar.
• I can show what day comes before today.
• I can show what day comes after today.
• I can put day or schedule cards in order with help.

Curriculum links

• Reading history/social studies: identify key steps and order in a process or routine.
• Reading history/social studies: integrate visual information from calendars, picture cards, and schedule displays with spoken and printed information.
• Reading history/social studies: determine the meaning of time-related words and phrases such as today, yesterday, tomorrow, before, and after.
• Kindergarten speaking and listening and language development: participate in collaborative conversations, describe familiar events, and use new vocabulary.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Welcome song and listening routine. Teacher gathers students at the carpet, previews the expectations “eyes watching, ears listening, body ready,” and plays or leads a familiar days-of-the-week song using the opening song slide. Students join the song with voices, gestures, or clapping and then practice stopping and looking at the teacher when the music ends.

2. 4–9 min · Meet the days. Teacher displays the seven large day cards, reads each day slowly, and points to the matching word and color or visual cue on the seven-day visual sequence. Students echo the names, trace a day card with a finger, and notice that the days repeat in a regular order. Briefly clarify that a week has seven days and that the sequence starts again after Sunday.

3. 9–15 min · Human day-of-the-week line. Teacher gives seven students one day card each and helps them stand in order, using prompts such as “Which day comes after Tuesday?” and “Who is before Friday?” The remaining students help by pointing to the human-line directions or holding individual response cards. Students in the line say or sign their day, move beside the correct classmate, and practice the sentence frame, “___ comes before/after ___.”

4. 15–21 min · Classroom schedule connection. Teacher shows familiar classroom routine cards, including the visual schedule cards from the visual timetable cards, and explains that a schedule also shows events in order. Teacher models: “First we meet at the carpet. Later we work. After work, we clean up,” using the classroom schedule sequence. Students help place two or three routine cards in order and explain what happens before or after a selected event.

5. 21–27 min · Calendar routine practice. Teacher displays the large visual calendar and places a marker on the actual current day. Ask: “What is today?” “What was yesterday?” and “What will tomorrow be?” Offer three day cards or individual response cards as choices, then model thinking aloud: “Today is Wednesday. The day before Wednesday is Tuesday. The day after Wednesday is Thursday.” Students respond by naming, pointing, signing, or holding up a card. Partners use the frame, “Today is ___. Yesterday was ___. Tomorrow will be ___,” with peer modeling as needed.

6. 27–30 min · Independent check and close. Teacher distributes the today-yesterday-tomorrow practice sheet and asks students to complete one supported item: circle or point to today, then identify the day before or after using a choice bank. Review answers with the closing review and exit prompt. Students show one finger for “before,” two fingers for “today,” or three fingers for “after,” and return materials calmly.

Resources

• the complete days-of-the-week teaching deck
• the today-yesterday-tomorrow practice sheet
• Large visual classroom calendar
• Seven large day-of-the-week cards
• Individual day response cards
• Classroom schedule cards
• Pointer, magnetic tape, or pocket chart
• Song audio or teacher voice
• Carpet spots or clearly marked sitting spaces

Assessment

• Observe whether students can locate or name a day during the song, human line, and calendar routine; record responses made orally, by pointing, signing, or with a card.
• During partner practice, check whether students understand before and after rather than simply repeating the day names.
• Use the worksheet as a brief exit check. Accept one completed item, a dictated answer, or a teacher-observed response for students who need support.

Differentiation

• Support learners with a large visual calendar, color-coded or tactile day cards, repeated songs, gestures, movement, and only two or three answer choices at a time.
• Provide sentence frames: “Today is ,” “ comes before ,” and “ comes after ___.” Pair students with supportive peers and model each response before asking students to try.
• Accept oral responses, pointing, eye gaze, signing, matching, or holding up an answer card. Allow students to stand at the human line, sit nearby, or respond from a designated spot if sitting at the carpet is difficult.
• For students ready for more challenge, remove the answer choices and ask them to explain the full three-day sequence or identify the day that comes two days after a given day. Use brief directions, frequent praise, and movement breaks for students developing classroom routines.