Photographs and project samples adorn this timeline of the school year.
Objectives
Students
document class events and projects on a timeline of the school year.
Keywords
timeline, yearbook, school year
Materials Needed
roll of mural paper (your timeline might be 1-2 feet wide or wider and 20 feet long or longer)
art supplies (for example, paint, crayons, markers, rulers, scissors…)
students' artwork, writing assignments, tests… gathered throughout the year
photographs of special projects or events
The Lesson
Create a timeline of the entire school year. Administrators and parents will really appreciate this visual representation of the year's activities.
To introduce your yearlong timeline, review with students what a timeline is and the purpose of a timeline. You might even share a few examples of timelines found in library books, textbooks, or online. [See the sidebar for links to some timelines we found on the Internet.]
As another example of a timeline, you might introduce (or show an example of) a child's growth chart. That timeline offers a visual representation over time of a child's height.
Hang as much of a roll of paper as you wish to for the start of your timeline. Enter the first event of the class year. As the year progresses, add photos of special events, original samples of student art, handprints, writing samples, tests, class celebrations, and so on. Have the children mark the date of the event on the timeline as new items are posted. You might even include news clippings about major news events during the year.
Submitted By
Lynda O'Brien, Twin Oaks School in Melrose, Florida
Time Line of the Year