End of The Year Timelines
By Caroline Wyman
Objective: The students will be able to understand the concept of timelines and the correlation with months and year. Grades 1-3
Initiation: Ask the class if they remember what month they first learned each other's names. Once they recall that it was September ( for some August) ask what was the clue that made them remember that time? Was it in the beginning of the year or at the end?
Development: After brainstorming clues and charting beginning of the year events, middle of the year events, and end of the year events, have the students split up into small groups and have pictures throughout the year scattered for each group to reorganize in order of time (beginning,middle,end). First have the groups rotate to view each others photos in order and then reexamine the time by month and year. Chart some examples together as a class and then have each group go back and figure out together the months and year of their pictures. Hand out large poster board that the pictures can be glued to and the timeline can be written underneath using the month and year.
Closure: Ask the class if they think that timelines are important when used with writing a story or learning about history? Come up with reasons why timelines are important to know. Make a large end of the year bulletin board of all the timelines from the year.
Materials: Pictures taken from throughout the school year, glue, poster board.
Extension: Have the students make a timeline of their life using only important dates to highlight.
Caroline Wyman has a degree in Sociology and a Masters in Elementary Education and is the administrator for TeacherNet.com.