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A Travel What?

Timelines and Excitement Graphs

Using Timelines And Excitement Graphs

Recounts are time-sequenced.  A Timeline helps students to work out the sequence of events they wish to recount.  It allows them to indicate at what time (that morning, after, later that night, and so on) - the main events occurred, and describe these events using words against each time signal on the timeline.  In short, timelines help students to organise their recounts and make time links between and among events. 

One approach to the construction of a timeline is to have students write the main events of an experience or historical text onto card strips, then sequence them in time order.  Then they might decide how to show when the events took place. 

Alternatively, students could decide on the main events, represent these as paintings or drawings, then sequence them in time order in the form of a spectacular wall display.  Captions and speech bubbles can be added later. 

Excitement Graphs can be added to timelines to provide another dimension. One axis of the graph represents 'time' like a timeline, the other axis 'excitement'.  A line graph joining the events provides a graphic representation of any climax in the recount. 

Timelines with key dates also provide a useful study guide for readers.  As students encounter the dates in the text they add, in summary form, the main event that occurred on that date. 

Timeline
Time/Date	What Happened	

 	 	

 	 	

 	 	

Excitement Graph

Time/Date	What Happened	

 	 	

 	 	

 	 	

© Ministry of Education, Wellington, New Zealand (First published 1998)