> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.chimeedu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Build Interactive Timeline Activities for Your Class

> Create chronological timeline activities with rich event cards, images, and play mode for guided lessons on ChimeEdu. Auto-sorts by date.

Timelines give students a visual, explorable sequence of events that turns a list of dates into a genuine narrative. Add events in any order — ChimeEdu sorts them chronologically for you automatically — then publish to your classroom and let students zoom, scrub, and tap their way through the content at their own pace.

## What Makes Timelines Powerful

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Automatic Chronological Sorting" icon="arrow-down-1-9">
    Add events in whatever order suits you — ChimeEdu rearranges them by date automatically. No need to plan the build sequence in advance.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rich Event Cards" icon="rectangle-list">
    Each event supports a title, date, image, description, and an optional location. Students get context, not just a date and a name.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Play Mode" icon="circle-play">
    Present the timeline to the class in auto-advance play mode. Events reveal in sequence — ideal for guided lessons and whole-class presentations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Explore and Zoom" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Students scrub through the timeline, zoom into a specific period, and tap any event for the full card — on desktop or mobile.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Works Across Subjects" icon="book-open">
    History, literature, science, biography, current events — any content with a sequence benefits from the timeline format.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Published to Your Classroom" icon="chalkboard-user">
    Publish directly to a classroom. Students open the activity from their feed — no link sharing, no separate logins required.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Creating a Timeline

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open New Activity">
    From your teacher dashboard, click **New Activity** and select **Timeline**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add your events">
    Click **Add Event** to start building your timeline. Add events in any order — there is no need to enter them chronologically. ChimeEdu will sort them for you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in each event card">
    For every event, provide:

    * **Title** — the name of the event
    * **Date** — a specific date or year
    * **Image** — a photograph, illustration, or diagram (optional but highly recommended)
    * **Description** — formatted rich text giving students the context they need
    * **Location** — an optional place name or geographic reference
  </Step>

  <Step title="Publish to your classroom">
    When you are ready, click **Publish** and select the classroom you want to assign the timeline to. It appears on your students' dashboards straight away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Build the deck in any order that suits your workflow — look up one event at a time, paste in notes as you go, or bulk-add events and fill in descriptions later. The timeline will always sort events by date automatically when students open it.
</Tip>

## Play Mode

Play Mode lets you present the timeline to the whole class in a guided, auto-advance format — perfect for lessons where you want to walk students through events in sequence rather than letting them explore independently.

To activate Play Mode:

1. Open the published timeline from your dashboard.
2. Click the **Play** button in the activity toolbar.
3. Events reveal one at a time in chronological order, advancing automatically or on your cue.

Use Play Mode at the start of a new topic to introduce the sequence before students explore on their own, or at the end of a unit as a revision walkthrough. You can pause at any event to discuss it with the class before moving on.

<Note>
  You can attach Google Drive files — documents, slides, PDFs — directly to individual timeline events. This is available on **Plus and Premium** plans. It is a useful way to link a primary source document or a reading to the exact moment in the timeline it relates to.
</Note>

## Subject Ideas

Timelines are most obviously associated with history, but the format works anywhere sequence matters:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="History">
    * Trace the rise and fall of ancient civilisations, mapping key turning points along the way.
    * Chart the sequence of battles in a military campaign.
    * Build a political timeline of a revolution from first cause to resolution.
    * Map a century of social change through legislation, protest, and reform.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Literature">
    * Plot a character's arc through a novel, marking key moments of growth or conflict.
    * Build a timeline of events within a story to help students track narrative structure.
    * Map the publication history of a writer's body of work alongside events in their life.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Science">
    * Chart the stages of a scientific discovery, from hypothesis through experimentation to publication.
    * Build a geological timeline of Earth's major eras and the life forms associated with each.
    * Map the development of a technology — from early prototype to modern application.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Biography">
    * Create a life events timeline for a historical figure, scientist, author, or artist.
    * Run the personal timeline alongside a world events timeline to show historical context.
    * Let students build their own biography timelines as a class project.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>


## Related topics

- [ChimeEdu for Teachers: Your Interactive Classroom Hub](/teachers/introduction.md)
- [Create Interactive Map Activities for Any Geography](/teachers/activities/maps.md)
- [How to Use ChimeEdu Timelines and Flash Card Decks](/students/timelines-and-flash-cards.md)
- [Link Google Drive Files to Your ChimeEdu Classroom](/teachers/classrooms/google-drive.md)
- [ChimeEdu Teacher FAQs — Classrooms, Activities & Plans](/help/faq-teachers.md)