Make your own timeline
The process of collecting, discussing, sequencing and presenting photographic evidence of their personal growth and development from birth through babyhood and early childhood, will help students to develop the understanding that they have changed over time.
To help prepare students for the task of creating their own timeline, review and discuss:
- Ann's timeline
- Tia's timeline.
Ask students: 'In what ways have you changed since you were a baby?'
Students make a collection of printed and digital photographs of themselves at different ages.
Students with printed photos could place them in time order by pegging them along a string timeline or along a length of tape on a wall or a table top. They could label each event on sticky notes so labels can be moved or adjusted if necessary.
Resize digital photos and save in individual or class folders to enable students to order their images in a Microsoft Word document, PowerPoint slides or using IWB software.
If students have brought photos for each year of their lives, that will be simpler. Tia's timeline is marked in ages, but students may use dates on their timeline.
Talk about the present year and have them count back to the year they were born.
Model the process with one student's photos
Tell me about this photo. Ask questions, such as:
- How old were you here?
- Who are the people with you? What were you celebrating?
- What game are you playing at your fourth birthday party?
- How have you changed since then?
- How old were you when you got Jake the dog?
- Which photo will be first? How will you know which photo goes next? After that? Last?
- How old were you when you visited your grandmother in Sri Lanka?
Provide prompts as the student describes the photos and places them in time order.
Students work individually or in pairs to place actual photos in chronological order to construct a timeline showing how they have grown and changed over time.
The timeline may be in the form of a slide show using PowerPoint or it may be paper-based on an A3 sheet. They could use audio recording software such as Audacity or write a sentence or two to accompany each photo and develop students' personal narratives. Read about creating timelines (.docx 411kB) using online tools such as TeAchnology and Timetoast.