A timeline is a great way of getting students to select and summarise key events across a defined period. This activity allows them to do this simply and effectively, and to colour-code the events if they choose to do so. They can also add a background image before printing off their work and / or saving it as a webpage for the school intranet / website!

Stage 1: Selection of Timeline Events

Ask students, working individually or in pairs / small groups, to identify what they consider to be the 10 most significant events within the topic of study. For example, in a History class students could select the 10 most important events in a particular period; in English literature they could select the most important plot developments in a novel or play.

Stage 2: Brainstorm Timeline Events

The teacher asks students to contribute their ideas to a whole-class discussion. This will encourage some debate, discussion and reflection.

Stage 3: Depiction of Timeline Events

Students then open the ClassTools Timeline Template and plot their chosen events into it. They should aim not simply to describe "what happens" but "why it is significant"

• Students should be encouraged to use the "colour code" facility to categorise the events they have chosen. This could be as straightforward as "happy" events in one colour, "unhappy" events in another; more ambitiously, events could be colour-coded according to whether they are social, political or religious and so on. Best of all, the students should come up with their own ideas about how to categorise the events!
• Students should also use the "add background image" facility to choose an appropriate backdrop for their work before printing it off / saving it as a webpage.