Timelines are a helpful way for students to organize facts, people and events and to visualize how certain events impacted those that followed. By using the Storyboard That Creator to construct a timeline, students go beyond simply memorizing dates and are able to think critically about how to illustrate and describe important events.
This example highlights a few of the important dates leading up to the Declaration of Independence, however, any topic could be used! Teachers could have students create timelines of specific historical periods that they are studying. They could illustrate the progression of a topic through the ages such as the history of voting rights or the history of the printing press! Timelines could be used in ELA to show the progression of events throughout a story or a biography of a person's life. The possibilities are endless!
For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster or a worksheet sized timeline to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options and adjust the instructions accordingly.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a timeline in chronological order with accurate dates, descriptions. and illustrations for 5-10 important events relating to your topic.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: 5-10 events listed with correct dates, 1-3 sentence description and appropriate illustration.
Provide graphic organizers to help students break down their research into manageable parts. Start with a simple table or template where students can jot down key dates, events, and short notes before building their timeline. This supports organization and ensures no important details are missed.
Show examples of significant events and explain why they matter. Discuss with students how to spot turning points or moments of change in a topic. This builds critical thinking and helps students focus on relevant information.
Teach students how to find reliable sources, such as textbooks, library databases, and reputable websites. Encourage cross-checking facts from multiple sources to ensure accuracy in their timelines. This promotes information literacy and responsible research habits.
Provide prompts like, “This event was important because…” or “As a result of this event…”. These starters help students clearly explain why each event matters and improve their writing confidence.
Have students swap timelines and give feedback using a simple checklist. This encourages collaboration and helps students recognize strengths and areas for improvement in their own work.
A history timeline project is an educational activity where students organize key events, people, and dates from a historical period or topic in chronological order. This project helps students visualize cause and effect and understand the sequence of historical events.
To create a timeline with Storyboard That, start by selecting the timeline template, add 5-10 important events with accurate dates, write a brief description for each, and illustrate each event using characters and scenes. Save your completed timeline for presentation or sharing.
Great topics include the Declaration of Independence, history of voting rights, invention of the printing press, biographies of famous people, or the events of a novel. Choose topics that align with current lessons or student interests.
A strong timeline assignment should have 5-10 events in chronological order, each with a correct date, a short description (1-3 sentences), and an original illustration for every event.
Timelines encourage students to analyze relationships between events, recognize patterns, and consider how earlier events impact later ones. This deepens their understanding beyond memorizing dates and fosters critical thinking.