In English class the seventh graders are working on writing mini-autobiographies. These are inspired by the novel, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros. To serve as a springboard for memories about their own lives, the students have created their own personal timelines. For this the students used a web app called Timeline JS which uses completed Google Sheet template to generate the timelines, so students also gained experience using spreadsheets in a different way.
They started with their date of their birth and then recorded important milestones in their lives so far. They composed a headline and a brief description for each event. Photos, maps and video could be added to enhance their descriptions. These unique, individual timelines will become an integral part of each student’s autobiography project. So far, the theory is working and the students have many ideas for writing short personal narrative “chapters” about their lives.
Mrs. Drown, English Teacher