Timeline Project – Technology, Innovation, Change

Hello Everyone!

In connection with our unit concepts of CREATIVITY and CHANGE, we are creating timelines to better understand how technology has changed over time due to constant human innovation.

Students are working with a partner, and they have chosen a topic to focus on.

It is important that we understand we are looking for human innovations in our timelines. For example, if you are looking at communication as a topic, then we are looking at the history of innovations, technologies, and tools that have been used for communication.

There is an example of a timeline hanging in the classroom on the topic of TRANSPORTATION. Please use this as a model to better understand how to create a timeline.

Here are the instructions and criteria list for the project, which we already talked about in class:

  1. Choose a topic. Brainstorm the related words to your project topic, so you can better find information online and in books.
  2. Use the books provided in the classroom or the internet.
  3. When using a book, use the non-fiction features we discussed, such as the table of contents, index, key words, headings, and captions, to find info more quickly.
  4. When using the internet, make sure to use some of the key words you brainstormed, not just the name of your topic. Ask for help if you need it!!
  5. Take notes and record your sources in your journal. Please use a minimum of 4 sources.
  6. Write down key ideas in your own words, as you will better remember what you learned. Don’t just copy.
  7. Check sources for quality as we have discussed in class. Is the website from a business and has lots of ads? Who wrote the website? What is the ending of the web address (use .edu, .org, .gov for example)?
  8. Do research independently, then come together with your partner to exchange notes and to discuss. Decide on 20 dates in time you would like to represent on your timeline.
  9. Ms. D will give you 4 sheets of 8.5″ x 14″ legal paper. Each partner will take two, as well as 10 of the dates. Create your half of the timeline. We will connect all four sheets together to make one large timeline at the end.
  10. Timeline can go horizontal or vertical. You can decide how the line will be drawn on the paper.
  11. You need an illustration for each date.
  12. You need a 1-2 sentence description for each date. Descriptions can be typed and glued on the timeline, or handwritten in pencil, then done in fine liner so we can see them. Writing needs to be large enough to fill the space and be visible to others when it is hung up for display.
  13. We will hang our results up for everyone to enjoy!

I CAN statements from the curriculum content and competencies that you will find on your assessment rubric:

I can find information for my timeline from a variety of sources and document my research in notes, recording key ideas and sources.

I can choose specific dates for my timeline and write descriptions of 1-2 sentences that show an understanding of how my specific technology or human innovation area has changed over time.

I can communicate using clear writing and edit for conventions of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

I can use illustrations to communicate further information about each of the dates I chose on the timeline.

I can demonstrate an understanding and appreciate of evidence by looking through a variety of sources as I research.

I can sequence events on my timeline appropriately to show the positive and negative aspects of change in human innovations over time.

I can show knowledge of different types of machines and technology that have been created by humans to serve a specific purpose.

Due Date:  Dec. 10th, Friday, end of day

Questions? Ask Ms. D!