I think I did that assignment when I went to school! Our school is 1:1 and the potential to ramp up this task along the SAMR highway is huge.
So a few options for tools to use - this comparison chart is by Richard Byrne from freetech4teachers.com
There are lots of options here - I would want to check them out and find the simplest one to recommend for my students. TimelineJS is a great option!
Comparing the new timelines with the old task:
- Students can be creative
- They can include photos and video in the timeline
- The new timeline can be interactive with scrolling, links, zooming in etc
- The finished product will look WAY WAY better than the hand drawn version on paper
- The online timeline can be made collaboratively (Timeglider or Timeline JS) so students can work together on the document
- The new version can be shared with other students for feedback and peer assessment
- The new version can be published online for others to see. Imagine getting a class from another school (perhaps in a different country) to comment on your timeline you made.
Now at the end of that list we are moving towards redefinition - tasks that we could never do without technology that makes the whole learning experience better.
Check out this post at http://ditchthattextbook.com/2016/02/25/5-lessons-to-teach-with-timelines/
Timelines are great graphic organizers because of their linear, but discrete, nature. Each event is separated on the line itself – and two events can occupy the same time, just on opposite sides of the line. Whether looking at a story or the history of transportation innovation, timelines are really valuable for understanding the unfolding of events, causes and effects, and much more.
Teachers constantly need new ideas, but they have to do what works for their students. Many of these lesson ideas are transferrable to another subject, another grade level, or both. Mold your own.
Sequence
Chronological order is an important concept that can be surprisingly tricky, depending on the topic. Putting things in order — or doing things in order — can make a big difference. Making sense of chronological order is important for cause and effect, passage of time, character or plot development, procedures, and more.
Show the events of a story, sequence of steps, order of operations, roleplaying scenario, or whatever else you can think of, in a random order. Have your students rearrange the cells of a timeline on Storyboard That. Some teachers may wish to use dates, times on a clock, sequence words, step numbers, or narrative text to assist their students, and some may wish to rely solely on visuals.
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Example of using a timeline to demonstrate sequence: “Steps to prepare for a medieval feast”. Click to see full timeline image. (Image via Storyboard That)
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Events Leading up to a Significant Occurrence
Significant occurrences usually do not just happen by chance. There are many significant events in history that have altered human understanding, political systems, and the natural world. Sometimes events happen with little notice or no forewarning, but most have signs or precipitating events. Looking at these causes can show us why something happened, and maybe even help us understand how events might have been avoided. We can use this knowledge for benefits in the present and the future.
The importance of the significant occurrence often overshadows the causes, but it is the causes that show us why something happens.
Create a timeline of events leading up to the important or significant one. Depending on your objective, you may want to include events that happened before, but do not necessarily directly influence the major event. After creating a visual timeline, perform a written assignment or have a discussion including questions such as the following:
- What were the circumstances of the time?
- What actions did people take?
- What are the major turning points?
- Was there a point of no return?
- What could they have done? What might have happened?
- Are there similar things happening now that we could help along or try to avoid?
- The example is the events leading up to the American Revolution, but this can easily be used for events in a novel, an important scientific discovery, or a social issue.
Evolution or Progression
Our world is always changing: physically, socially, politically, aesthetically. Over time, many of our styles or habits have evolved because people have made improvements to what was done previously, or modified with the times.
Create a timeline showing the evolution of a product, style, or practice. Notice the reasons behind the changes: trying to solve a problem, making conscious changes for improvements or defiance, changing over time naturally, etc. As styles have changed throughout history, what has that meant for people in general or of different classes/races/religions/locations? As ideas have been honed, what have people been able to do?
Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking of what is applicable to your students:
- Personal computer design
- Government
- Football
- Entertainment
- Architectural design
- Changes in sanitation and medicine
- The world’s understanding of nuclear physics
- Fashion
- Communication devices
- Religious practices
- Civil rights
- Character development
Historical Context
Historical setting affects plot, theme, character development and more in a story, so it is wise to put the story in historical context. This can be done before and even during reading.
Make a timeline of the historical period of the story that blends events from real life and events from the story. This could easily be used to compare a nonfiction story with a broader view of the setting.
- What are the important world and local events?
- What inventions or innovations are being made?
- What are major societal issues?
- What is the social climate for certain groups?
- What are the scientific, religious, and/or political beliefs of the time? How do these beliefs affect the characters in the story?
- What conflicts are there – past present and future – that make a difference in the historical period?
Biography of a Person’s Life
There are some amazing people who have altered the course of history! Let students get inspired to make change in their own lifetimes by showing what other people have accomplished.
Students may have a hard time connecting with important historical figures on a personal level, so set them next to the greats! Make two timelines: one traditional timeline of another person’s life, and the second a (realistic) future timeline of yourself. Literary characters are also up for grabs! Make comparisons of your own life trajectory with the life of a hero and plan steps for the future.
- What are the events of their life?
- What happened to them that made them do something or feel something? What events impacted them?
- What steps did they take to [cause change]?
- What is the same and different about my life?
- What can I do in my future to to do great things too? How will I do that?
- Timelines are very useful for organizing information in sequence, but it is what you do with the information that makes a difference! Push student thinking beyond dates and order; look for causes and whys and hows.