Learn English with Timeline
Learn English with Timeline – A quick and easy game that is both educational and fun. If you ever wanted a quick game that is both educational and entertaining, then Timeline is the game for you. I have used Timeline very successfully in my ESL classes and I will show you what it’s all about.
Trivia games have existed for quite some time, such as Trivial Pursuit. Although I love world history, I must admit that I have never been good at recalling dates and names. As a result, these trivia games have always frustrated me. Then came Timeline, which altered my perspective a bit.
Learn English with Timeline
Components
How to Play
To play the game, each player gets 3-6 double-sided cards facedown (dates hidden) on their side of the table. One card is placed face up in the center to start the timeline. On their turn, a player decides where their card fits in the timeline in order. After deciding, they flip their card to show the date. If it’s right, they add it to the timeline, and the turn passes. If it’s wrong, they discard it and draw a new card before passing the turn. The winner is the player who runs out of cards first.
There are some variants of the main play that I do not use due to time constraints.
There is a new variant, as seen in the Timeline Twist game, that I would incorporate in future classes. It can be a cooperative game where each player assists one another with decision-making. In this manner of playing, all the students can collaborate as previously mentioned, but they do not reveal their answers until all of their cards are used up. Once completed, the cards are flipped over, and the number of mistakes is counted. Obviously, the fewer mistakes made, the better! Everyone wins.
There are countless ways you can play this game if you really think about it, and that makes this game versatile.
How I use Timeline in my ESL classes
Remember, the way I like to conduct activities in class is to ensure that play is swift, so I tend to minimize the number of cards each player holds to about 3-4 cards per player. Following that line of logic, I usually focus on only one target language point at a time. 15 minutes is about right for one game, but the more English output a student is required, the longer the game.
These are my target language points (Choose One):
Dates: I allow my students to concentrate on that form; for example, 1792 would be expressed as seventeen ninety-two.
Position: I would emphasize phrases such as this card is before this card, or between this card and that card, etc.
Passives: I would have students state that the corkscrew was invented before the phonograph as an example.
Etc.
At the time of this Article
Currently, Asmodee no longer produces the Timeline series. Which is a shame because there were many themes available. I am sure you can find some of them in games stores or eBay or Rakuten.
This shouldn’t dissuade you though because there is a game called Timeline Twist, which is similar but has a slightly different appearance and introduces a cooperative variant. This is relatively cheap and the cards seem a little bigger, too. Nonetheless, it remains the same game.
Hobby Japan also has their own Japanese version of Timeline available on Amazon, which is relatively cheap.
Do I need the English version of Timeline?
No, an English version of the Timeline is not needed to use the English grammar points previously mentioned; however, the passive forms might sound odd when using Japanese and English together.
Pros and Cons
- Pros:
The Timeline game is highly versatile for various gameplay styles.
It is adaptable for different numbers of players (a full class could theoretically participate).
This game is compact and portable.
It is quick to play, easy to learn, and most importantly, engaging. - Cons:
The cards are small.
The versions I am using are no longer available (but there are alternatives).
An Alternative to Timeline (Cardline)
There is another series created by Asmodee that could be interesting and potentially worthwhile. I may cover it in the future. It is called the Cardline Series. It is pretty much an exact copy of play style and concept as Timeline, with some subtle differences. The cards are a little larger thankfully.
Instead of dates, Cardline has details about things that can be arranged in order, such as country size, population size, lifespan of animals, weight of animals, etc.
I don’t want to go into too much detail; however, Cardline is also available on Amazon.
Is Timeline Worthwhile?
I firmly believe that Timeline is a valuable asset for teachers. It is quick to play, easy to learn, and offers great versatility. As a regular game for families or friends, it is replayable due to the vast number of cards, but this is really just a filler that you would take out occasionally unless you love trivia, in my opinion.
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Thank you for reading. Have a great day wherever you are.
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