This document summarizes research on using finite element analysis in time to model the nonlinear dynamic response of beams. It describes discretizing a beam into finite elements, with each node having two degrees of freedom for displacement and slope. Hermite shape functions are used to interpolate displacement within each element. The total potential energy of the system is derived and used to form the element stiffness matrix. The analysis shows this finite element approach can accurately model the bending behavior of beams under distributed loads.