Hi! How are you doing with your schoolwork? Remember, little by little, important tasks are accomplished, and You Can Do It!

I hope you enjoyed the numbers grid from last month’s article. I am amazed at numbers — how they follow a pattern, they are never ending, and they are significant in everything we think, say or do; to find our way on the highway, follow a recipe, play a game, set the alarm, make and keep appointments on the calendar, and so much more.

This month I would like to speak to you about making and using a timeline. You can be an excellent student, but still get confused as to exactly when important people lived or important events happened. A timeline will set you straight. I have checked out a few people and events and made a small timeline to get you ready for fun and wisdom. You could be a third-, fourth-, fifth-grader, or younger or older to enjoy a timeline. So check it out and add to it or use it to explore information about the entries if they interest you!

A SAMPLE TIMELINE

(A timeline normally would run along a straight line with events lined up in chronological order. In this case, they will be listed here to fit into the column format.)

600 BC — Aristotle and Plato

1492 AD — Christopher Columbus

1635 — Public schools

1706-1790 — Benjamin Franklin

1732-1799 — George Washington

1743-1826 — Thomas Jefferson

1775-1785 — Revolutionary War

1787-1788 — United States Constitution

1809-1865 — Abraham Lincoln

1835-1910 — Mark Twain

1882-1925 — Thomas Edison – Electricity

1885 — Automobile

1903-2001 — My father, J.R. Bleau

1903 — Wright Brothers airplane

1927 — Television

1928 — Mickey Mouse

1929-1968 — Martin Luther King Jr.

1969 — First man on the moon

1973 — Cell phone

2021 — Perseverance robot on Mars

Boys and Girls, I am not perfect, and I might have made mistakes on the timeline. If so, fix them. This timeline is just an example of times, people, and events. Imagine the fun of conversations you could have with friends and family by digging a little deeper into what has happened and when, etc. You can make your own timeline using your life, the weather, or any history. Timelines might give you a jump-start on your schoolwork now and in the future.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE

PEOPLE AND EVENTS ON THE SAMPLE TIMELINE

1635 — First free public school in the U.S. taught English as our national language. Everyone was not happy about having their children learn the English language.

1775 — George Washington fought in the Revolutionary War, and he was our first president.

1785 — France helped America win the Revolutionary War.

1809-1865 — Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president. He is commended for keeping our country united and for freeing the slaves. He had a wife and four children: Edmond, Tad, Robert, and William. Abe was 6-foot, 4-inches tall, and wore a tall hat. He was assassinated in 1865.

1835-1910 — Mark Twain was a pen name. He was born Samuel Clemens. He lived in Florida and Missouri, and was an orator and author. Mark Twain was the author of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer,” and other novels.

USE THE TIMELINE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

1. How many years after Christopher Columbus landed on America did we have free public schools in the U.S.A.?

2. How old was George Washington when the Revolutionary War was going on?

3. Would George Washington have known Ben Franklin?

4. Might Mark Twain have taken part in the Civil War?

5. What other interesting facts could you gather, such as your grandparents’ dates of birth, and what was going on when they were born?

6. Could you add interesting or important people, or event, or more recent years — your birthdate, for example?

ENJOY LEARNING

Anyone can become the president of the United States of America! The main thing is that you work with what interests you and become competent by doing your best, most of the time.

Willieoma Roznowski is a retired schoolteacher who taught for 25 years in the Alpena Public Schools. She loves calling Alpena her home. To reach her, call 989-464-0417 and leave a message.