• Home
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
#RGSTeachersLounge
MENU
  • SHOP
    • Best Sellers
    • What’s New
    • Subscription Box
    • Outlet
  • CLASSROOM
    • Decor/Themes
    • Bulletin Boards
    • Furniture
    • Organization Solutions
    • Flexible Classroom
  • CELEBRATIONS
    • Holidays
    • Games and Activities
    • Birthdays
    • 100th Day
    • Dr. Seuess
    • Graduation
  • CURRICULUM
    • Social Emotional Learning
    • ELA
    • Spanish – ESL
    • Social Studies
    • Math
    • Science/Spangler
    • STEM
    • Cross-Curriculum/Kits
    • Standards Match
  • THE RESOURCE LOUNGE
    • Teacher Resources and Supplies
    • Career Path
    • Home Life
    • Teacher Tips
You are here: Home / Articles / Lessons & Activities / Lesson Ideas for Using Timelines in the Classroom

Lesson Ideas for Using Timelines in the Classroom

Lesson Ideas for Using Timelines in the Classroom

When students are learning to sequence events, there is no better visual representation than a timeline. Using a visual to help students understand when things happened in relation to other events is a great way to incorporate different learning modalities. Whether you create your own or use a pre-made timeline there are some great ideas for making them an effective part of your lesson.

Ways to Use Timelines in the Classroom

A Timeline of the School Year

If you are new to timelines, consider starting off with an easy concept. Together with your students, you can create a timeline of the school year which chronicles important events as they happen. This is a great way to bring the class together and create a sense of community. Add events to the timeline on Friday afternoons. If the school year has already started, have students think back to the first day. They will get practice sequencing events as they discuss what happened up until the present day. By the end of the year, you will have a detailed timeline that highlights the special moments that made the year so unique.

 

Science

Figuring out what comes first, whether it is in the life cycle of a butterfly or the eruption of a volcano, is an important part of scientific exploration. Encourage younger students to use a pictorial timeline outlining the stages as they happen. Older students can write the timeline as more of an outline, describing each stage in depth. It will allow you to quickly and easily check to see which students grasp the concept and which ones need more help.

 

History

Many people think of timelines only in terms of history events. If you would like your students to detail a particular period in history, a timeline is a great way to do it. A timeline can be of a broad topic, such as the birth of America, or a narrow sequence of events, such as the moments leading up to President Lincoln’s assassination. If you have students create timelines for each period in history that you study, at the end of the school year each student will have a complete timeline for everything that you have covered during the year.

 

Reading

Many students struggle with remembering the sequence of events in stories, but timelines are the perfect tool for helping them keep the story events in order. Younger students can draw pictures of what happens, while older students can write descriptions of the events. This is particularly helpful when reading biographies and books about historical events.

 

Getting to Know You

Autobiography timelines are also a fun way for your class to show off their timeline skills. They can use a paper person cut-out, decorate it to look like themselves, and have the cut-out travel along the timeline as they tell their life stories. Have students present their timelines to the class or show them off to parents at Back-to-School Night or Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Students can also use timelines to explain what they know during assessments or presentations. Whether the events are displayed in pictures or are written out in short blurbs, the visual reminder of the sequence of events is great for students to have. This year, walk the line with your class and keep the events of the year in order.

 

Share your ideas for using timelines in class below! We’d love to hear how you use them.

Lesson Ideas for Using Timelines in the Classroom - ReallyGoodTeachers.com

Sharing is caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Pin

Comments

  1. Mary S says

    October 11, 2010 at 11:58 am

    I have a growing timeline on my wall, putting up historical and scientific events as we study them. I have also made label to mark the centuries. This is to help students learn that the 1700’s is the 18th century. This concept is often confusing.

  2. Kelly says

    November 28, 2010 at 8:30 pm

    In our social studies book there is always a running timeline across the top. In one of our units, I created a project where students create a short timeline of their own life. They have to pick 5 important events in their life, including their birth, plot it on the timeline, have a symbol or picture to represent the event, and write a brief caption. It’s one of my favorite projects because I learn so much about the students and what are important milestones in their development.

  3. Tiff says

    July 26, 2011 at 8:15 am

    You know what I love about this, is that you can use these with any age. My 6th grade grade partner used these in her Reading and Language Arts. As a Kindergarten teacher, I use them in all my themes.

  4. tere osorio says

    November 13, 2011 at 9:02 pm

    I want ideas for my project.

  5. Daina R. says

    May 9, 2012 at 11:38 pm

    We make a large timeline display that takes up the whole first grade hallway. It focuses on famous people for Black History month. It works out great!

Join our Community!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

LIVE ON FACEBOOK!

#RGSTeachersLounge
Join us the first and third Tuesday of every month AT 8PM!

Popular Posts

  • Free Reading Websites for Kids 11 Free Reading Websites for Kids
  • 20 Job Ideas for Teachers 20 Job Ideas for Teachers
  • Free Math Sites for Kids 11 Free Math Sites for Kids: Math Websites for Students
  • 50 Strange Things Teachers Say 50 Strange Things Teachers Say
  • 20 Gift Ideas for Mentor Teachers 20 Gift Ideas for Mentor Teachers
  • Getting Organized from the Start - Tips for Teacher Organization Getting Organized from the Get Go with Lists!
  • Getting Things to Stick to Cinderblock Walls How to Make Things Stick to Cinder Block Walls
  • 12 Community Service Projects for Kids 12 Community Service Projects for Kids
  • 11 Teacher Gift Ideas - What Teachers REALLY Want 11 Teacher Gift Ideas: What Teachers Really Want
  • Books for the Beginning of the School Year 21 Read-Aloud Books for the Beginning of the School Year

#RGSTeachersLounge

Copyright © 2022 #RGSTeachersLounge

Copyright © 2022 · Slush Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in