Our ability to talk about history and comprehend history is somewhat dependent on our knowledge of time, and how we measure it. This is a beautiful bridge to the world of mathematics, given that much of the vocabulary is taught in that discipline.

 

In the musical, one of the main characters has a strong understanding of "time" and the words "that talk about time". He responds to his friends' confusion with a song. A learning taget could be: Students use the song, "Time" as means to write equivalent number models. (Such as 60 seconds = 1 minute) These statements are increasingly challenging as we get to the greater units.

 

Time  (Listen to a clip of the song on the Music Page.)

 

If it already happened, then it’s history

But the past should never, be a mystery

We need words, to measure the time

We gotta make sense of the passage of time

 

On the short side, “Please wait a second!”

Sixty seconds, “I’ll just be a minute!”

There’s a quarter, a half, three-quarters of an hour

And twenty four hours in a whole day

 

All the words to talk about time

So many words that talk about time

 

And seven days make up a week

Four weeks (plus) in a month

And twelve months make up a year

How many days in a year? (365)

How many weeks in a year? (That would be 52)

All the words to talk about time

So many words that talk about time

 

Each 10 years we call a decade

Every 100 years is a century

10 centuries make 1000 years

We call that a millennium, one thousand

 

All the words to talk about time

So many words to talk about time

History is not a mystery

With the words that talk about time

History is not a mystery

With the words that talk about time!

The words that talk about time!