Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Why Timelines

If you received a public education like mine, you might not have made the connection that Mozart, George Washington, and Goya lived in the same world. As a classical educator I am trying to help my children make these connections.

I have purchased for each child a beautiful quality timeline book that I expect will become a keepsake. 

  

These timelines are utilized in every subject.  By utilizing timelines across the many subjects we study, it is possible to make connections that would often be missed.   

Let's look at the year 1776.   Most Americans know that year as the birth of the American nation.  

Do you know what else was happening across the world during that same time period? 

Math---Joseph Louis Lagrange created the quadratic forms used in algebra today in 1769

Art---Francisco Goya places in his first art competition in 1771

Music---Mozart created Haffner Serenade in 1776

Geography---James Cook " discovers"  Botany Bay in 1770

Science--- James Keir hypothesis that some rocks are formed from molten lava in 1776

Language Arts---The Encyclopédie in 28 volumes is published by Diderot and d'Alembert (the first set of Encyclopedias in the form we know today with multiple authors ) in 1772

 Without studying any of these people at the same time or even in the same year, timelines can help make those connections.  As we add new dates to our timelines, we take the time to review the dates already added to the timeline.   Taking the time to discuss the different events happening around the world in different disciplines helps to make the connections that led to a greater understanding of the human story.

And that is why timelines are an ever present part of education in my home.

Make sure to check out what other hip homeschool moms are doing at the 

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5 comments:

  1. I love this post!! This is what I have always said a 'perfect' homeschool curriculum would be. All entwining. This is the way to learn. We have a timeline too and I think it is such a wonderful way to learn and absorb.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog and I will be back to visit. :)

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  2. Which reminds me, we need to get a few of the things we've looked at onto Monkey's timeline now, so we can make those connections later!

    The Classical Homeschooling Carnival is up, including your post.

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  3. Great post. Thanks for listing all of the things that happened in the 1770s. It really demonstrates the use of a good timeline. My oldest and I are keeping our own timelines this year along with another one for the younger two. I'm really excited to start seeing more connections.

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  4. We are starting a timeline this year and I am so excited! Where did you get your timeline figures? Have you found any LDS figures?
    Thanks for posting!

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  5. This looks good for a timeline, nice post.

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