Students complete activity sheets and use them to create a Giant American History Timeline!

As students’ knowledge grows, so do their Giant Timelines. The result is a gorgeous and satisfying project that showcases their accomplishments and gives them an ongoing review of American history. As kids modify and expand their timelines, they learn American history and the critical thinking skills they will use throughout their lives.

Activity Sheets

135 activity sheets organized into 8 units.
Each activity sheet focuses on an important date, event, person, place or idea.

Students create and complete maps, complete and extend graphic organizers, analyze primary sources, answer questions, write captions, create graphs, compare and contrast time periods, and more.
A variety of formats engage students of all ability levels and learning styles in individual and group work.

High-interest activity sheets include Map Study, Biography, A Voice from the Past, Time Machine, and Postcard from the Past.
Incorporates critical thinking skills, including chronological thinking, main idea and details, comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, and more.
Interdisciplinary activities connect social studies, language arts, science, mathematics, fine arts, and physical education.

The Timeline

The GIANT American History Timeline 2 provides a comprehensive picture of all major periods in American history from 1870 to the Present.
Two timeline plans are provided for each unit. One is a basic chronology and the other portrays complex historical developments.
You can also customize timelines for any time period, or historical theme, or critical-thinking skill.
Create an interactive environment in which stimulating learning experiences are created.

Parent and Teacher Support

60 pages of parent and teacher support.
16 timeline plans are provided, from the simplest chronology to the complex historical developments.
Detailed teaching directions for each unit include Unit Overview, Focus Activities, Constructing the Timeline, Critical Thinking Skills, Individual Activity Sheet Notes, and a Unit Assessment.
Complete answer keys for all activity sheets and assessments.

Coverage

Click Table of Contents on the right for detailed coverage.

Introduction
Unit 1 Industrial Growth and Technological Advancement: 1870–1910
Unit 2 Big Business and Social Reform: 1870–1910
Unit 3 America and the World: 1867–1910
Unit 4 World War I: 1910–1920
Unit 5 The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression: 1920–1940
Unit 6 World War II: 1930–1950
Unit 7 The Cold War: 1940–1990
Unit 8 The Civil Rights Movement, Technology, and Terrorism: 1954–Present
Assessments
Answer Key

The GIANT American History Timeline Book 2: 1870s-Present

$14.95

Grades 4 and up

135 Activity Sheets

16 Timeline Plans

60 pages of Parent and Teacher Support

Complete Answer Key

Aligned with the National Council of Social Studies “Ideal Forms of Social Studies Teaching and Learning”

Companion Book to The Giant American History Timeline Book 1

243 pages

eBook/PDF Download
Introduction

How The GIANT American History Timeline Is Organized

Using the Activity Sheets

Unit Assessments

Creating Timelines

Timeline Components

Timeline Arrows

Timeline Dates

Timeline Subheadings

Unit 1 Industrial Growth and Technological Advancement: 1870–1910

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

1-A. Industrial Growth and Technological Advancement

1-B. Map Study: The United States in 1870

1-C. The Railroad Expands

1-D. The Strength of Steel

1-E. Steam Powers the Nation

1-F. American Industry Booms

1-G. A Voice From the Past: Andrew Carnegie

1-H. The Telephone

1-I. Biography: Thomas Edison

1-J. The Bicycle

1-K. The Automobile

1-L. The Airplane

1-M. Map Study: The United States in 1900

1-N. Time Machine: American Roads

1-O. A Postcard From the Past: Wright Brothers National Memorial

Unit 2 Big Business and Social Reform: 1870–1910

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

2-A. Big Business and Social Reform

2-B. Corporations, Trusts, and Monopolies

2-C. Robber Barons

2-D. Business Corruption

2-E. Biography: John D. Rockefeller

2-F. A Wave of Immigrants

2-G. The Statue of Liberty

2-H. Urbanization

2-I. Working Conditions

2-J. The Labor Movement

2-K. Government Regulation of Big Business

2-L. The Progressive Movement

2-M. A Voice From the Past: Jane Addams

2-N. Muckrakers

2-O. Time Machine: Public Transportation

2-P. A Postcard From the Past: The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

National Monuments

Unit 3 America and the World: 1867–1910

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

3-A. America and the World

3-B. Map Study: The Alaska Purchase

3-C. The Spanish-American War

3-D. Yellow Journalism

3-E. Map Study: The Hawaii Annexation

3-F. Map Study: New American Territories

3-G. Biography: Theodore Roosevelt

3-H. A Voice From the Past: Theodore Roosevelt

3-I. The Panama Canal

3-J. The Roosevelt Corollary

3-K. The Great White Fleet

3-L. A World Power

3-M. Map Study: The United States in 1910

3-N. Time Machine: Journalism

3-O. A Postcard From the Past: Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Unit 4 World War I: 1910–1920

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

4-A. World War I

4-B. War Clouds Over Europe

4-C. The Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

4-D. The Allies and the Central Powers

4-E. A Voice From the Past: Woodrow Wilson

4-F. Major Events of World War I

4-G. Trench Warfare

4-H. New Weapons

4-I. The Home Front

4-J. The Treaty of Versailles

4-K. Map Study: Europe Before and After World War I

4-L. The League of Nations

4-M. Biography: Alvin York

4-N. Time Machine: Popular Songs

4-O. A Postcard From the Past: The Liberty Memorial

Unit 5 The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression: 1920–1940

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

5-A. The Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression

5-B. Map Study: The United States in 1920

5-C. The Economic Boom

5-D. New Consumer Goods

5-E. The Impact of the Automobile

5-F. The Radio and Movies

5-G. New Roles for Women

5-H. Causes of the Great Depression

5-I. The Great Depression

5-J. Life During the Great Depression

5-K. Map Study: The Dust Bowl

5-L. A Voice From the Past: John Steinbeck

5-M. The New Deal

5-N. Biography: Franklin Delano Roosevelt

5-O. Time Machine: Women’s Fashions

5-P. A Postcard From the Past: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Unit 6 World War II: 1930–1950

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

6-A. World War II

6-B. Changes in Italy and Germany

6-C. Japanese Expansionism

6-D. Pearl Harbor

6-E. World War II: Main Ideas

6-F. Major Events of World War II

6-G. The Home Front

6-H. Important American Weapons of World War II

6-I. Biography: Audie Murphy

6-J. A Voice From the Past: Ernie Pyle

6-K. The End of the War and the Beginning of the Nuclear Age

6-L. Major Effects of World War II

6-M. The United Nations

6-N. Map Study: The United States in 1950

6-O. Time Machine: Shopping

6-P. A Postcard From the Past: The National World War II Memorial

Unit 7 The Cold War: 1940–1990

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

7-A. The Cold War

7-B. Postwar America

7-C. The United States and NATO

7-D. The Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact

7-E. Capitalism Versus Communism

7-F. The Truman Doctrine and Containment

7-G. The Arms Race

7-H. Major Events of the Cold War

7-I. The Korean War

7-J. The Cuban Missile Crisis

7-K. The Vietnam War

7-L. Biography: Lyndon Baines Johnson

7-M. A Voice From the Past: Ronald Reagan

7-N. The End of the Cold War

7-O. Time Machine: Television

7-P. A Postcard From the Past: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Unit 8 The Civil Rights Movement, Technology, and Terrorism: 1954–Present

Teaching Notes

Activity Sheets

8-A. The Civil Rights Movement, Technology, and Terrorism

8-B. The Civil Rights Movement

8-C. Major Events of the Civil Rights Movement

8-D. A Voice From the Past: Martin Luther King, Jr.

8-E. The U.S. Space Program

8-F. New Consumer Goods

8-G. The Internet and the World Wide Web

8-H. Map Study: The United States in 2000

8-I. September 11, 2001

8-J. The War on Terrorism

8-K. The Afghan War

8-L. The Invasion of Iraq

8-M. Biography: My American Hero

8-N. My Lessons From History

8-O. Time Machine: When Do You Want to Visit?

8-P. A Postcard From the Past: The Civil Rights Memorial

Assessments

Unit 1 Assessment

Unit 2 Assessment

Unit 3 Assessment

Unit 4 Assessment

Unit 5 Assessment

Unit 6 Assessment

Unit 7 Assessment

Unit 8 Assessment

Answer Key
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) synthesized the “findings from the best available classroom research” and identified “an emerging consensus of expert opinion about how to teach social studies.” The result is a vision for “powerful teaching and learning in the social studies,” in which “powerful” refers to “ideal forms of social studies teaching and learning.” According to the NCSS, social studies teaching and learning are powerful when they are: meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active.

The Giant American History Timeline supports each of these key elements:

Meaningful The Giant American History Timeline creates networks—the timelines—that give meaning to American history. The NCSS writes, “Facts and ideas are not taught in isolation from other content, nor are skills. Instead, they are embedded in networks of knowledge, skills, beliefs, and attitudes that are structured around important ideas and taught emphasizing their connections.... New topics are framed with reference to where they fit within the big picture ... content is developed in ways that help students see how its elements relate to one another (e.g., using ... graphic learning aids ... ).”

Integrative The Giant American History Timeline integrates knowledge of discrete historical events within the timelines. The NCSS writes, “Powerful social studies teaching is integrative across time and space, connecting with past experience ....”

Value-Based The Giant American History Timeline exposes students to different points of view about historical events in various activity sheets. The NCSS writes, “Powerful social studies teaching encourages recognition of opposing points of view ....”

Challenges The Giant American History Timeline provides appropriate individual challenging in activity sheets and fosters collaborative learning as students combine the sheets to construct the timelines. The NCSS writes, “Students ... strive to accomplish instructional goals both as individuals and as group members ... Students ... respond thoughtfully to one another’s ideas.”

Active The Giant American History Timeline lets students actively construct timelines that form a network of understanding about American history. The NCSS writes, “Students develop new understanding through a process of construction. They do not passively receive or copy curriculum content ... they strive to make sense of what they are learning by developing a network of connections that link the new content to preexisting knowledge ....”

The Giant American History Timeline meets both state and national social studies standards. As students construct the timelines, they will fulfill major aspects of all major social studies strands identified by the NCSS.

• Strand I: Culture • Strand II: Time, Continuity, and Change • Strand III: People, Places, and Environments • Strand IV: Individual Development and Identity • Strand V: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions • Strand VI: Power, Authority, and Governance • Strand VII: Production, Distribution, and Consumption • Strand VIII: Science, Technology, and Society • Strand IX: Global Connections

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“By simply selecting and hanging aesthetically pleasing posters…you are increasing the visual interest of your classroom.…this creates a pleasant environment likely to encourage more positive student attitudes and behaviors….Posters that are aligned with the content of the unit can be an ideal method to provide students with germane targets for their mental escapes.”

—Dr. Thomas O’Brien, University of Binghamton School of Education

Educational Books for Teachers, Parents, and Kids

The GIANT American History Timeline Book 2: 1870s-Present

Features

Table of Contents

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Why Teaching with Timelines Works

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