Remembering the names, dates, and details of historical events can be a struggle for students. And figuring out how all of that isolated information connects? That is even more difficult. But understanding historical events and their relationships with each other is critical.
I want to help you facilitate deeper understanding and connection in your history lessons. And one of the best ways to achieve this is through timelines! To get you started, I have created this free 13 Colonies timeline.
Why Use a 13 Colonies Timeline?
A timeline is a powerful tool that provides a concrete way for students to connect historical concepts.
Timelines help students:
- view events as part of a larger movement
- sequence events in order
- activate prior knowledge
- identify cause and effect
- deepen their understanding of a historical period
My Best Tips for Teaching with Timelines
Why Many Students Don’t “Get” Timelines
As teachers, we commonly teach events one at a time, assuming that students are connecting the events in their minds. But when we teach events in “bits and pieces,” students learn most of their history out of context. As a result, they are unable to connect the individual details and grasp larger historical themes.
The solution?
Students need regular practice creating and interpreting timelines.
My Favorite Timeline Activities
Timelines don’t have to be boring! There are so many fun and engaging ways to incorporate timelines into your history instruction. Here are a few of my favorite timeline activities.
Illustrated Timeline
Students work together to construct an illustrated timeline of historical events. This can be done in many ways! For example:
- First, roll out a long strip of butcher paper for your students. You can do this horizontally or vertically.
- Next, use a bold marker to place dates on the paper.
- Then, have students cover the timeline in student drawings, index-cards, and/or primary sources which represent historical events.
Table Top Timeline
Students create a timeline across a table in the classroom. First, label sections of the table with dates using index cards. Next, students add objects, artifacts, and framed photographs to the table. They place these items next to the correct year on the timeline.
Digital Timeline
Have students create a timeline digitally. Don’t expect students to know how to use these digital resources on their own. Be sure to model several times – and even do a few altogether!
- ReadWriteThink Interactive Timeline – This program provides an easy-to-use digital timeline for students to fill in! In this timeline, students can enter a date, description, and image.
- Google Slides – Students can create a simple timeline using this editable timeline. Before sharing this with students, you can adjust it to fit your specific timeline needs!
- Sutori – Using Sutori, your students can create incredible timelines that include both text and images. You can even assign students to create a Sutori timeline through Google Classroom!
Human Timeline
One of my favorite timeline activities is the Human Timeline from Facing History. In this activity, students teach their peers about one event from the timeline. Then, they build a human timeline by lining up in the order of the events. I’ve used a variation of this activity in my Early Republic and Westward Expansion units. Learn more about this activity here!
Analyze Timelines
Go beyond creating timelines. Analyze them! Here are some ideas for helping students analyze timelines.
- Compare a timeline with another from history.
- Identify the time period covered by each timeline.
- Determine how each timeline has been divided.
- Study the timelines to see how events in one are related to events in the other.
- Identify a turning point in the timeline.
- Identify a problem and give advice to people from that time period.
- Create a new ending!
20 Key Events for Your 13 Colonies Timeline
It’s difficult to narrow down events and know which to include and which to leave out. I’ve spent hours analyzing events, so you don’t have to! Here are 20 key events to teach from the Colonial era.
- 1607 – Jamestown, Virginia is settled by The Virginia Company of London.
- 1616 – Yellow fever kills two-thirds of the Wampanoag nation. Millions of indigenous people will die of Old World diseases over the next hundred years.
- 1619 – The first enslaved Africans are brought to Jamestown, Virginia.
- 1620 – The Mayflower sets sail for the New World and Massachusetts is founded by Puritan separatists called Pilgrims.
- 1621 – Pilgrims celebrate the First Thanksgiving.
- 1622 – The Powhatan Confederacy resists English settlement in Virginia and nearly wipes out Jamestown colony.
- 1623 – New Hampshire is founded first by fisherman and traders. John Wheelwright later settles there after being banished from Massachusetts.
- 1624 – Lord Baltimore founds the colony of Maryland. He hopes to make Maryland a safe place for Catholics.
- 1636 – Connecticut is settled by Puritans who disagreed with leaders in Massachusetts.
- 1636 – Rhode Island is settled by Roger Williams and other religious dissenters.
- 1638 – Delaware is founded by Peter Minuit and the New Sweden Company. Later, in 1644, English settlers take control of the area.
- 1653 – Virginians establish Carolina. Later, it is divided into North and South Carolina.
- 1664 – Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret found New Jersey.
- 1664 – The British take over New Amsterdam from the Dutch and establish New York.
- 1664-1678 – New England colonists and local Indigenous nations (Wampanoags, Narragansetts, Nipmucks and others) fight in King Phillip’s War. There are thousands of casualties on both sides.
- 1682 – William Penn establishes Pennsylvania. He hopes that it will be a safe place for Quakers to worship.
- 1692 – Hundreds of people are accused of being witches, and some are hanged for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.
- 1732 – Georgia is established by James Oglethorpe and becomes the last of the 13 colonies.
- 1754-1763 – France and England fight about North American land, trade routes, and resources in the French and Indian War. Indigenous groups make alliances with both sides.
- 1776 – The 13 Colonies declare their independence from England.
Get the Free 13 Colonies Timeline
I hope these tips and resources help your students better understand and enjoy timelines in your classroom!
Download the free 13 Colonies Timeline here.
To help save you time, I have also created this free 13 Colonies Timeline lesson. With detailed teacher instructions, activity ideas and printable worksheets, using this timeline in your classroom will be a breeze!
Need more help teaching about the 13 Colonies?
Are you looking for more resources to help you teach the 13 Colonies?
- 3-Week 13 colonies Unit: This all-inclusive unit provides interactive lesson plans that will keep your students engaged and help them learn the information in a meaningful way.
- 13 Colonies Primary Sources: An outline of 5 primary sources, complete with teaching suggestions. I have also created a compilation of primary sources for several other U.S. History topics as well!
- 13 Colonies Picture Books: 5 powerful picture books to help bring the 13 colonies to life in your classroom.
- Life in the 13 Colonies Videos: An overview of 5 videos teaching all about the history of the 13 Colonies.
Or, get all of these resources even cheaper by bundling. My Ultimate Savings Bundle includes all my U.S. History resources at a 20% discount.
Hi, Becca!
I have a YouTube channel called Cenapsis where I create short music videos on historical topics. I was researching online information on the Thirteen Colonies and ran across your teaching packet. You offer data cards on the colonies (four of which are shown in your image on your site) which I thought would be an excellent basis for my lyrics. Do you have these as a PDF file that I may purchase from you?
Thanks for your time!
Dennis