Chronology Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RI.4-5.5

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

The order of events and arrangement of how they take place is often referred to as the chronology of a story. When we refer back to chronology, we can think of it as a timeline of events that occurred within the story. In many cases the order in which events occur is just as important as the events themselves. The chronology is often cited to help us understand the cause and effect the rises and fall in the story. Many authors will follow a blatantly linear path with their story, while others will tend to jump around. Another common technique to follow a reverse chronology where the entire story starts at the end and works it way back to the beginning. This series of worksheets will help students learn how to interpret the chronology of a story and how to manipulate in stories of their own to heighten the interest of their for readers.

Chronology Worksheets To Print:

The 20th Century - Put the 20th century events in an arranged in the order in which they happened.

History - Number the items 1 to 10 to put the events in chronological order.

Ancient Rome - Place the events that occured in Ancient Roman civilization in line.

American History - You may need to do some reseach for this one.

Civil Rights Movement - There is a good bit of data to sift through here.

The First Fifteen - Rewrite the names of the first fifteen U.S. Presidents as they served office.

Chronology vs. Sequence - Compare and contrast these concepts in a great organizer.

Topic Dive - Where do you typically find or use chronologies?

Research Someone You Admire - It can be someone living today or someone from history. Identify at least six major events in that person's life. Write the events on the first set of lines as you conduct your research.

Balance - Read the assigned text. Add a mark for each event and place it on the timeline.

Personal History - Everyone has their own personal history of events. Think of some major events that have happened in your life.

Your Book - This is to be used with your own texts. Use as many lines as you need.

Birth Dates - Talk to six of your classmates. Write down their names and birthdays (dd/mm/yy) on the first set of lines.

My Life - Recap your entire life and the major events that occured within them.

My Family - Talk to several members of your family. Ask each one to name a few events that have been important or significant for your family and when each event happened.

How Do You Compose a Chronology?

Simply put, a chronology is a sequential list of events (historical incidents, personal achievements & milestones, public policy developments, etc.) that took place according to the dates. The earliest happening is recorded first while the most recent one comes at the end.


Chronologies are used for different purposes. In legal matters, you may need one to organize your thoughts and give your attorney every little bit of your side of the story.


Writing a Chronology


Being thorough and accurate is essential to drafting a proper chronology. The material you provide to your lawyer might be used by them to file a complaint with the court, prepare answers to possible questions from the defendant's attorney in discovery, etc. In other words, your written chronology can play a vital role in making or breaking your case before a jury. So, to make sure your chronology of events is on point, follow the tips below.


Get Organized


Your attorney will use the raw data from the chronology to build your case in front of a jury, in court documents, and legal correspondence. Rectifying basic mistakes about the "where," "when," and "why" of an event can weaken your case in the eyes of both the judge and jury.


You're advised to get everything organized before penning the chronology. Scrutinize all available documents (cell phone bills, email files, bank records, datebook, meeting notes, tax returns, phone conversation transcripts, etc.) before you sit down to write.
Analyze every word and try to read between the lines on every page. Writing the chronology will be simple once you have all these records organized and the information fully extracted!


Understand What Information Your Lawyer Needs


Depending on what your case is about, the information needed by your attorney will vary. It's essential to have a detailed discussion to know what they need from you in the chronology document. For instance,


- In a divorce settlement, the basics include marriage date, cohabitation date, birthdays of children (if any), date of separation, date of buying/selling of any significant assets (house, car, etc.);


- For a land boundary dispute, your lawyer will first need the property acquisition dates of all involved parties. Other necessary info includes previous ownership details (names, dates, etc.) for each piece of land, the date of putting up a fence or boundary around a disputed area, etc.


- During a contract standoff, important information includes the dates of all meetings and phone calls between the involved parties, the dates any contracts were drafted and/or signed on, the exact circumstances under which a contract was signed or agreed upon, etc.



Be Specific


Your attorney won't be able to do much with a vague description of events. Be very specific!


For example, don't make claims like "I always put family before career." Instead, say something along the lines of “In March 2020, I took a 20% pay cut so I could be home by 3 PM every day to tend to my children when they got back from school.”


Fill the Gaps


You may not have every paper record available. Moreover, remembering exact dates for every event is improbable unless you have a photographic memory. In such cases, you can tell your lawyer the approximate time when something happened. For instance, you can say that something happened a couple of weeks before you left that job at XYZ Company in mid-July 2018.