At the Woolshed

Social Studies Online

Purpose
Students often have difficulty ranking or ordering information from least important to most important (prioritising) or putting it in sequential order. Flow Charts may be used to show how one event lead to another or to illustrate a chain of events graphically (or visually).

Steps

1. Identify key stages in the process.

2. Organise these steps into the correct sequence.

3. Count up how many boxes will be needed ( ie the number of stages) and consider how to lay them out on a page.

4. Create your boxes allowing sufficient space between them to draw (with a ruler) linking arrows. You could even make your boxes look like sheep! Have some fun here.

5. Write a brief summary (or use a symbol or illustration and caption) of each stage in the right box; add the linking arrows.

6. Give the completed flow chart an appropriate title (so anyone glancing at it knows what it is illustrating).

Reference:
Cubitt, S., Irvine, R., Dow, A. (1999) Top Tools for Social Science Teachers. Auckland: Addison Wesley Longman. www.pearsoned.co.nz.