In her writings, Charlotte Mason
recommended preparing a handmade Timeline Book (originally called a
Museum Sketch Book; sometimes called a Book of the Centuries). This
activity is based upon one of the major keys to motivation: the active
involvement of students in their own learning. Students learn by doing,
making, writing, designing, creating, and solving. Creating this
Timeline Book is a marvelous way for students to not only be actively
involved but to “pull it all together” and grasp the flow of biblical
and historical events.
Sample Pages
In a short period
of time, students can complete an illustrated timeline page that tells
a story, resulting in immediate feedback that is satisfying and
rewarding. Then, as your students learn historical facts, they will
make notes and sketches in their book, on the appropriately dated page,
about famous people, important events, inventions, wars, etc. (Work
that includes undated information about a time period, such as daily
life, education, etc., fits better into the Portfolio, but you can
combine the two books if you wish.)
You can purchase a blank Book of the Centuries published by Small Ventures Press or make your own with the instructions below.
To Set Up Your Timeline Book or Your Book of the Centuries You Will Need:
- A three-ring notebook with a clear plastic pocket cover
- Blank 8.5" x 11" pages
- Smaller lined pages (8.5 x 11 cut down to 8.5 x 9)
- A three-hole punch
- Glue sticks
One option is to choose a color for the pages of each unit (e.g., peach for Mesopotamia, pink for Rome, blue for Israel, etc.).
Decide upon the
units of time you will use (decades, centuries, etc.) to divide your
timeline into segments. A timeline documenting the period from Adam to
the Messiah will begin with Creation (before 2000 B.C.) and end with
the resurrection of Christ (c. A.D. 30). The nice thing about the
notebook style timeline is that it's cumulative; every year's study can
be added in. You can continue this timeline as you study later periods
by adding pages. As you study each period, there will be times when you
will document decades on one page, and other times when you will
document several centuries on one page. Place the appropriate section
of the timeline across the top of each 8.5" x 11" page to represent
increments. The shorter lined pages will go in between these pages to
hold notes. If there is not enough room on your timeline to include all
of your chronology, cull some of the dates, or add pages with larger
segments that leave more room. Use the timelines in this book as a
guide. There is disagreement about biblical dates, especially before
Abraham (c. 2100 B.C.). Our timelines use the commonly accepted dates
agreed upon by most Bible scholars.
Illustrate Pages
Add illustrations
on the blank pages. Utilize the Internet. Thousands of free
illustrations, maps, Christian clip art, etc., are available on the
Internet. A few examples are shown on this page. You can also draw your
own illustrations, use illustrations from the Web, or trace or
photocopy illustrations from Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines and Illustrations (What the Bible Is All About Resources). See example below .
Add Notes and Outlines to Lined Pages
Add notes or outlines about key events or people
on the lined pages . Write a brief summary for each event, development,
or invention. Include: Who did it? When did it occur? What it was.
Where it occurred. Why it was important? Write a short biography for
each person you research. Information that you may include: birth and
death dates, where they were born, where they died, what they did that
was important, etc.
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