R.3.4.01.09 Resource

Timeline Resource

  • Students will be learning about the significant events and people in the history of the United States in this unit. They will create a timeline over the course of the unit, which will be displayed in the classroom to represent the historic events presented in texts. The class timeline may be introduced to students in Lessons1, 2, or 3.
  • Plan how the class will create a timeline to display important events and significant contributions made by individuals during the time period covered in the unit. This should not take a great amount of class time. The timeline is intended to provide an overall visual for the class to better understand when significant events occurred throughout the unit. Some of the events will not necessarily be presented in chronological order.
  • Have students work individually or in pairs. Ensure that all students participate in the creation of the timeline.
  • Students may create their contribution to the timeline during independent work time.
  • The teacher will need to post general dates in the classroom so that students are able to place their specific dates/representations of historic events appropriately on the timeline.
  • Introduce students to a class timeline that will be built over the course of the unit in lesson 2 or 3. It will be displayed in the classroom to represent historic events presented in texts and to provide context for the relationship between events.
  • Not all events in this unit are presented sequentially. This is due to the fact that texts are arranged and grouped together by their level of complexity, not simply their timeline order. However, attention has been given to group historical figures and events together to provide cohesion of content (similar topics) for students.
  • The timeline is an important strategy for representing historical events and their context within the broader spectrum of the American Experience. Helping students see the connection and relationship between events develops their understanding and schema for history.
  • Supply individual students or pairs of students one teacher created“Timeline Event Card” to illustrate and label their assigned event that includes the name of the event and the date. Some students may choose to include an illustration to enhance their “Timeline Event Card.”
  • Place the “Timeline Event Card”on the timeline when the event is encountered in text(s) over the course of the unit.
  • Possible events to assign to individual students or pairs of students include:
  • Squanto helps the Pilgrims – 1621
  • The U. S. buys land from France in the Louisiana Purchase – 1803
  • Louis and Clark begin their expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition- May 1804
  • Sacagawea joins the Louis and Clark Expedition-November 1804
  • The Louis and Clark Expedition is complete – September 1806
  • The first railroad came to the United States - 1825
  • The first wagon train began the journey to Oregon – Spring 1843
  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton holds convention in Seneca Falls - 1848
  • Gold is discovered in California – 1849
  • The construction of the transcontinental railroad begins – 1862
  • The transcontinental railroad is complete – May 1869
  • Susan B. Anthony is arrested for trying to vote in an election - 1872
  • Mary McCleod Bethune is born- 1875
  • Ellis Island opened to immigrants – 1892
  • Ellis Island closed - 1954
  • Women win the right to vote – 1920
  • Delores Huerta started National Farm Worker’s Association – 1962
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver opens the first International Special Olympics – 1968
  • James Lovell’s Apollo 13 space mission – 1970
  • Franklin Chang Diaz joins the space shuttle program - 1980
  • Ellen Ochoa’s first space mission – 1993

1600 2000

BCPS Office of English Language Arts PreK – 12 May 2014