Our Classroom Calendar

Overview

In this fifth lesson of “Hello, Changes Over Time,” students learn that a calendar is a tool for organizing days and events. They examine a simple class calendar, add familiar events, and practice finding a day through a supported matching game. The lesson builds on students’ developing understanding of daily routines and sequence words such as yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Explain that a calendar shows and organizes days.
• Identify a familiar class event or birthday on a simple calendar.
• Use pictures, words, and teacher prompts to locate a day.
• Participate in a turn-taking matching game and share an answer with the group.

Success criteria

• I can say that a calendar shows days.
• I can find a familiar event on our class calendar.
• I can match an event picture to the correct day with help.
• I can talk about yesterday, today, or tomorrow when prompted.

Curriculum links

• Reading informational text: asking and answering questions about important details.
• Reading informational text: using information from pictures and a simple calendar together.
• Speaking and listening: taking turns, following agreed-upon discussion routines, and responding to classmates.
• Social studies: understanding how tools help people organize daily life and events.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Carpet routine and hook. Teacher displays the opening calendar mystery slide and says, “How can we know when our class party happens?” Model sitting with hands still, eyes watching, and listening for one speaker at a time. Students move to the carpet, practice the listening routine, and make a quiet prediction using a word, gesture, or picture choice.

2. 4–9 min · Explore the calendar. Teacher opens the calendar exploration slides and shows a large, simple monthly calendar with clear day boxes, numerals, and picture symbols; point out that calendars show days and events. Ask, “What do you notice?” and “Where do we look for an event?” Students identify familiar features such as numbers, boxes, pictures, or a highlighted day. Accept pointing, gestures, one-word answers, or complete sentences.

3. 9–14 min · Add class events. Teacher places a large classroom calendar where all students can see it and adds two or three real class events, such as a birthday, library day, or special school activity, using photographs or icons. Revisit the event placement and discussion slides and think aloud: “This picture shows library day. I will place it on Wednesday.” Students help choose where an event belongs from two or three options and repeat or complete the sentence, “The event is on ___.”

4. 14–22 min · “Find the Day” matching game. Teacher displays the matching-game instruction slide and holds up one event picture at a time. Offer two or three day choices, then invite a student to match the picture to the correct calendar day by pointing, placing it, or saying the day. Give each of the 15 students a turn, with classmates showing quiet thumbs-up when they agree. Briefly clarify errors by returning to the calendar and tracing from the event picture to its day.

5. 22–27 min · Independent or supported practice. Teacher distributes the classroom calendar picture-matching worksheet and models one item under the document camera or on the worksheet practice slide. Students circle, draw a line, or place a sticker to match two or three familiar events to days. Adults provide pointing or hand-over-hand support as needed while the teacher asks, “What event are you finding?” and “Which day matches?”

6. 27–30 min · Review and exit response. Teacher shows the final review and exit-question slide and asks, “What does a calendar show?” and “What event can you find?” Each student gives an oral answer, points to the correct event on the class calendar, or selects from two picture choices. Close with a brief yesterday/today/tomorrow chant connected to the next class event.

Resources

• the complete classroom calendar slide deck
• the classroom calendar picture-matching worksheet
• Large monthly classroom calendar
• Event photographs or clear picture icons
• Adhesive or magnetic markers
• Document camera or interactive display
• Carpet spots or assigned sitting places
• Pencils, crayons, and stickers
• Optional pointer or pointing wand

Assessment

• During discussion, listen for students’ understanding that a calendar organizes or shows days; record responses as verbal, gestural, or picture-based.
• During the matching game, note whether each student can locate a familiar event when given two or three day choices.
• Use the final response and worksheet to identify students who can independently connect an event picture with a calendar day and those needing continued support.

Differentiation

• Support students who are learning classroom routines with a visual “carpet body” cue, assigned carpet spots, a first-then statement, and short one-step directions. Preview the turn-taking routine before the matching game.
• Limit choices to two days, enlarge the relevant calendar boxes, and use photographs or familiar icons. Allow students to respond by pointing, looking, touching, gesturing, or speaking.
• Provide a pointer, highlighted day boxes, repeated modeling, and hand-over-hand assistance only as needed. Pair spoken directions with gestures and consistently use the same words: “event,” “day,” and “calendar.”
• For multilingual learners and students with communication needs, provide sentence frames such as “The ___ is on ___” and picture choices for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Invite advanced learners to explain how an event connects to yesterday, today, or tomorrow and to identify which event comes first.