Lesson Description:
Personal Timeline has the students create a booklet/timeline that
depicts in pictures, text, and numbers the 8 most important events
in their lives. They describe these events by drawing them, writing
about them, and placing them chronologically on a timeline.
When the project is completed and printed the document can be assembled
into a fold-out book. See the example. This
activity may take from 1-3 sessions at the computer and an assembly
activity for the booklet.
Extensions:
- This activity could be shortened or lengthened to include less
or more events.
- Instead of using the template, the events could be depicted
much larger on individual documents that are then included into
a Slide Show.
- The cover of the booklet (the back of event 1) can be decorated
and annotated.
- The booklet produced can be tied up with a ribbon or string
as a "time capsule" of sorts to themselves. When they
are 10 or 15 or 20 they can read what they thought was important
at this age.
- Teachers can use this activity to introduce themselves to their
class at the beginning of the year.
Implementation Steps:
Describe the activity completely. Show an example. Have them begin
to brainstorm what events will be in their timelines.
Have them open the template file and begin drawing and describing
their important events. It may be helpful to have them complete
the first one (birth) and the last one before the others. Have them
add the year to the blue timeline in the space provided for each
event. Have them use a small brush when drawing since the panes
are small.
Print the documents. Cut on the solid lines. Fold on the dotted
lines in an accordion fashion. The first fold (between event 1 and
2) should be toward the right. The fold between event 5 and 6 should
also be to the right. Tape or glue the two pieces together so that
events 4 and 5 display correctly.
Preparation Notes:
Place a copy of Personal Timeline
template file where the students can open it.
Student Prerequisites:
Students should have completed or be in progress on a unit of time,
continuity and change or personal history. See the standards below.
Students need to be able to use the Brush tool and the Text tool.
Assessment:
Use your usual writing rubric for the descriptions. Drawings should
be detailed enough to add value to the project.
Resources:
Download the Personal Timeline template file here.
Standards Addressed:
ISTE NETS Technology Standards: Grades Pre-K-2 Performance indicator(s):
1. Use input devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, remote control) and
output devices (e.g., monitor, printer) to successfully operate
computers, VCR's, audiotapes, and other technologies. (1)
8. Create developmentally appropriate multimedia products with
support from teachers, family members, or student partners.
ISTE NETS Technology Standards: Grades 3-5 Performance indicator(s):
1. Use keyboards and other common input and output devices (including
adaptive devices when necessary) efficiently and effectively.
5. Use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation,
Web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative
writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge
products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
NCSS Standard:
TIME, CONTINUITY AND CHANGE
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide
for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over
time.
Human beings seek to understand their historical roots and to locate
themselves in time. Such understanding involves knowing what things
were like in the past and how things change and develop. Knowing
how to read and reconstruct the past allows one to develop a historical
perspective and to answer questions such as: Who am I? What happened
in the past? How am I connected to those in the past? How has the
world changed and how might it change in the future? Why does our
personal sense of relatedness to the past change? How can the perspective
we have about our own life experiences be viewed as part of the
larger human story across time? How do our personal stories reflect
varying points of view and inform contemporary ideas and actions?
This theme typically appears in courses that: 1) include perspectives
from various aspects of history; 2) draw upon historical knowledge
during the examination of social issues; and 3) develop the habits
of mind that historians and scholars in the humanities and social
sciences employ to study the past and its relationship to the present
in the United States and other societies.
Learners in early grades gain experience with sequencing to establish
a sense of order and time. They enjoy hearing stories of the recent
past as well as of long ago. In addition, they begin to recognize
that individuals may hold different views about the past and to
understand the linkages between human decisions and consequences.
Thus, the foundation is laid for the development of historical knowledge,
skills, and values. In the middle grades, students, through a more
formal study of history, continue to expand their understanding
of the past and of historical concepts and inquiry. They begin to
understand and appreciate differences in historical perspectives,
recognizing that interpretations are influenced by individual experiences,
societal values, and cultural traditions. High school students engage
in more sophisticated analysis and reconstruction of the past, examining
its relationship to the present and extrapolating into the future.
They integrate individual stories about people, events, and situations
to form a more holistic conception, in which continuity and change
are linked in time and across cultures. Students also learn to draw
on their knowledge of history to make informed choices and decisions
in the present.
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