"Hang" a time

Students will create their own timelines in a simple "clothesline" format using newspapers as a resource for dates, times and words for related events. Criteria will be simple at first to assure understanding but can be made more complex with subsequent activities.

A lesson plan for grade 3 Mathematics

By Cora Mae Pipkin

Learn more

Related pages

• What time is it?: Students will learn to recognize analog and digital clocks. They will also gain skills to tell time to the hour on both clocks.
• Time - Light and shadow (pre-visit): Students examine the interplay of the earth and the sun by studying shadows. Students construct a sun clock and record shadows several times during a school day in order to use the earth and the sun to measure time.
• Time marches on!: Students will create autobiographical time lines, noting important events in their lives. Using these timelines, students will create word problems for their classmates to solve.

Related topics

• Learn more about hands-on, mathematics, measurement, time, and timelines.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• read in a newspaper to identify and relate to dates and times.
• learn to organize dates/times sequentially.
• match dates and events in real life.
• understand the value and purpose of a timeline.
• create their own timelines in relation to important events in their lives.
• share and interpret their timelines to others.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

• newspapers
• paper
• scissors/glue stick/pencil
• piece of yarn
• list of required items to be included on their time line

Pre-activities

• Teacher displays timeline samples in the classroom and points out timelines in texts, magazines, etc.
• Class will share ideas on the uses and value of timelines.
• The class will make a timeline in the classroom of school-related events as a model.
• Students will have used newspapers for various activities and be familiar with sections of the newspapers which will be good sources for dates, times, etc.

Activities

1. Students will brainstorm different themes for timelines they could make. (ex: what they did today, important events in their own lives, etc.)
2. Teacher will describe and post list of items to be required on timelines for this activity.
3. On a piece of notebook paper, students will make a list of approximate times and events they do each day (ex: 6:00 a.m - wake up, etc.)
4. Materials will be given to each student (the number of newspaper sections may be limited depending on the students’ organizational skills). Review how to glue the yarn across the paper as the “line.”
5. Teacher will show model of a timeline that was completed during pre-activity and review criteria expected (ex; title, dates, events, etc).
6. Students will look through and verbally discuss which sections of the newspaper would be best to find the type of information they will need to complete a timeline. (ex: TV guide for times, sports page for dates, etc.)
7. Students will look for times and events for their personal timeline in print in the newspaper and cut out for placement on their own timeline.
8. Students will “hang” their items on the yarn timeline in a sequential and organized manner.
9. Students will check posted list to assure all required items are included and turn list in.

Assessment

• Using a checklist of items to be included on the time line, the following categories will be reviewed:
  1. title of time line
  2. minimum number of dates/times are “hung” on the line
  3. events are present that coincide with the dates/times
  4. dates/times are in sequential order
  5. overall appearance is neat and legible.
• Students will verbally share their timelines with the class to communicate understanding of activity and take pride in their completed activity.
• (optional) Give a homework assignment of creating a timeline of important events in their lives. Have a list of specific events to be included (ex: Date born, first steps, first day at school, birthdays of siblings, etc.)

Supplemental information

Point out samples of time lines in social studies and math texts, Weekly Reader/Scholastic Magazines, etc. (Note web sites below for samples on various formats of timelines.)

Make pre-activity sample timeline for display.

This may be done as a small group activity instead of an individual activity.

Related websites

Comments

Expansion ideas:

• Timelines of the school calendar can be kept in the room throughout the year using a clothesline and clothespins to “hang” indicators of the events.
• Make a timeline of events from social studies text (ex: Discovery of America, Pilgrims’ trip to Plymouth, etc.)
• Make a timeline of a Science activity such as growing a plant from a seed.
• Have the students write out an interpretation of a timeline which you have posted in the room or on the overhead as a Language Arts activity.