1. Timeline
English Class
12th Grade

2. Definition
Timeline:
a linear representation of important events in the order in which they occurred.

3. How to Make a Timeline

4. Deciding What the Timeline
Part I
Deciding What the Timeline
Will Include

5. Step 1 Give your timeline a title. NASA, to the Moon and Beyond
The Justin Timberlake Story
A Day in the Life of a Praying Mantis

6. Step 2 Aim to present a well-rounded history.
Learn as much about your timeline topic as you can, so that your timeline accurately reflects what happened.

7. Step 3
Make a list of events to include.

8. Step 4 Decide when it will begin and end.
15-20 events is a good number to include for most timelines.
You don't always have to start a timeline with a person's birth or end it with his or her death.

9. Laying Out the Timeline
Part II
Laying Out the Timeline

10. Step 1 Sketch a line on a piece of paper.
Your final timeline can be vertical or horizontal, curved or straight; it doesn't have to be a plain horizontal line.
Start date
End
date

11. Step 2 Decide what time increments to use.
Decades, years, months, or even days.
Figure out what makes sense for your subject and the number of events you're including.

12. Step 3 Fill in the timeline with events.
Go along the line and mark the spots where the events will go.
Make darker hash marks to show the years in which the events occurred, and write down a short description of each one.

13. Adding Creative Elements
Part III
Adding Creative Elements

14. Step 1
Use color and bolded text for emphasis.

15. Step 2 Consider including images.
pictures to go along with the events you're chronicling
Find images online, copy them from books, or get creative and draw them yourself.

16. Step 3
Finalize the timeline
Make your final draft.
Refer sources.

17. Examples

23. Reference http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/timeline