Bringing the Simple Timeline into the Present

When I say the word Timeline in my classroom I actually shudder... one of those body wrenching shudders. The reason why??? Simple... I honestly believe that this should be one of the simplest activities that students should ever be asked to do in a lesson or for homework. It doesn't matter what subject... their own personal timeline for a History project, the history of scientific development in Physics or how the pangea took place in Geography.

But as any teacher out there who has ever attempted (ever) to get students to draw a nice, neat, simplistic timeline using a pencil and ruler across two pages of their exercise book will tell you - children just CAN'T do this neatly or well. They get the line wrong, put the wrong dates on, squish the writing etc etc etc until I am pulling my hair out and they are pulling out the pages of a nice new exercise book because 'I hate it Miss!'

So let's bring the basic but neccessary timeline into the 21st Century. If you can move your class into an IT rich room or have access to a Laptop Trolley (I know, I know but in my school Humanities has one for our sole use so we are very lucky) then the following might ease your heart palpitations...

There is a free website tool out there called www.timerime.com - click on the URL to take you there - that can be used with your students to get them to create personalised timelines online individually or collaboratively...

All you need to do is sign up, give your students a link and then the following can be achieved...

I no longer have to tear my hair out. Once the students have completed their timelines individually you can just get them to print them out.

I have also used this online tool collaboratively with an SEN class and the IWB. It was great for building up teamwork skills, confidence and everybody had the opportunity to collectively add their own events to a timeline and we then printed it out and put it on the classroom wall. A nice additional feature of this website is that students, who may be G&T rather than SEN, can also link in to YouTube clips and music to make their timelines even more interactive. Great for posting to your school's VLE or even to show off a little on your next Open Evening!

See what you can do with it... and have the time of your life playing with the software!