Let’s be honest. Timeline activities can be really boring for students. Most of the time, students are just copying off a website or book and aren’t doing any critical thinking! Adding a little competition and fun create the best timeline activity ever! Enter: Timeline Races!
Making a timeline doesn't work.
The skill of sequencing can be tough for many students! It’s important to practice with timeline activities often! But if you know me, you know I want every US History timeline activity to be fun and interactive!
What doesn’t work?
In my humble opinion, drawing a timeline isn’t the answer. Is it a good beginning level activity? Sure. Over time, making a timeline just doesn’t stick in the brains of teenagers. It certainly isn’t critical thinking.
What does work?
Students need to manipulate timelines. They need to collaborate with groups and discuss the content. What REALLY works is having students put unrelated events in order. Just bare with me, I’ll explain.
What is the MAGICAL TIMELINE ACTIVITY I speak of?
Timeline Races. What’s that you ask? Just the best timeline activity to review EVER.
How does it work?
- Students are put in small groups (3-4)
- They are given a mini timeline that contains unrelated events. (example: Magna Carta, Battle of Saratoga, Louisiana purchase, Andrew Jackson becomes President. Texas Annexation, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Appomattox Courthouse)
- When the teacher says the color of the timeline (I’ll explain that shortly) they race against the other groups to put the events in order.
- When they finish the mini timeline, they raise their hand and the teacher goes and checks the answers. I usually say, “You have 2 incorrect” etc. – so I’m not giving them the answers.
- Once the groups are finished with each timeline, you review the answers out loud. Tell students to mix up the timeline they were working on and place it to the side.
- Then they get out the next color you call out. Repeat.
- The groups will ultimately go through all mini timelines.
Teacher Details
- The prep for this activity is important!
- You need to run each mini timeline off on a different color of paper. There are 7-8 timelines included in this activity. So if you have 8 groups of 4 students, you will need to run 8 yellow timelines, 8 red timelines, 8 blue timelines etc.
- I recommend you laminate these as lots of fingers will be touching the timelines.
- Cut each group’s timelines up (each group should have 7-8 colors of timelines) and place it in a baggie. One baggie of timelines per group.
- Store the 8 baggies in a larger gallon baggie for next year.
- Veteran teacher tip: Yes, there is a lot of cutting to prep this activity. Use your students to help! Student Council or NHS students always need volunteer hours! Or, you can be brave and have your spouse and/or kids help you. I hope they can cut straight!
Why does this activity work?
- Students are discussing the content. You will hear little comments that will make your heart sing like, “No, that’s wrong. Remember that the battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the American Revolution, so it has to go before the battle of Yorktown.” Yes, they WERE listening. Cue the happy thoughts!
- By putting unrelated events in order, they are having to make connections across eras and topics. Talk about critical thinking! It’s huge.
- When students get a timeline correct, they are so proud of themselves. Seriously, I had students “high fiving” each other last year.
Because the mini timelines do not repeat topics, you COULD grab one baggie of timelines and have the students put them ALL in order – in one BIG timeline. Yes, it’s difficult, but we’ve done it and they loved it. One year we spread them out on the floor and the next year we taped them on the wall. Both work!
To sum it up . . .
This year my challenging 5th period said this activity helped them the most. They asked to do it again the day before we took our US History End of Course exam. So we did. Yes, they rocked it!
Interested in this activity? Check out the 8th grade version here and the 11th grade version here.
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