From the Wilderness to the White House

Children can assemble a time line of the key events in Abraham Lincoln's life. You'll find patterns for making a time line in the shape of Lincoln's stovepipe hat on the following pages. Children can make the time line on their own, in groups, or as a class. To begin, make a photocopy of the patterns. (If you are making a class time line, you may want to enlarge the images to make a more prominent display.) Have children cut apart the fact strips, then arrange them in chronological order on the hat pattern, beginning with Lincoln's birth on the bottom and ending with his death at the top. Have students double-check the order of the dates before gluing the strips in place.

You may want to use the time line as the center of a bulletin board or wall display on Abraham Lincoln's life. Children can add information, quotations, stories, and other materials to the display as they learn more about Lincoln.