Timelines In The Classroom

For homework, we were asked to read chapter 11, "How Do I Engage Students in Examining History?" in our textbook, Social Studies For The Elementary and Middle Grades. This chapter is about ways to teach history to students so it seams more meaningful to them. So many students do not realize the importance history is because it does not serve a utilitarian need. But it really is important to know about our pasts and how things used to be. The chapter gives teachers several reasons to study history, and help students become historians on their own.

After reading the chapter, each student in my class was given a number from the chapter to answer and share with the class. I was given number 7 from the chapter objectives. he question was:

Describe how timelines are used to assist in developing an understanding of time.

My answer was....

Timelines are used to assist in developing an understanding of time at a young age. In Kindergarten teachers may use a calendar or a time chart for the day in the form of a timeline. when certain events during the month or during the day have passed, the teacher can mark it on the timeline. This gives students a sense of time because it shows them that something has passed. Not only does it show them that time has passed, but it also shows them how things happen a series or order. A good way to make these timelines are with clothespins. The events are easily seen and easy access for students to ass events to. Complete timelines not only identify dates or time periods for which the events occurred, but also order them over the uniform passage of time. placing events along the timeline requires the ability to add and subtract. in the case of long periods of time, then multiplication and division are required as well. When considering events over a long period of time, students can also be asked questions linking the passage of time to generations to assist them in understanding.