Classtools.net is a free website where you can create quizzes, games, and diagrams using the templates provided. You can then host these on your own website, blog, or intranet. The site is created by Russel Tarr, Head of History at the International School of Toulouse, and author of the website ActiveHistory.

Search by subject or by template. When searching by subject, the site provides examples of work created using the templates. For example, when seaching ‘chemistry’, there is a game called ‘War of the Words’ in ’30 Element Symbols’. The students have to shoot the correct element, with a certain amount of ammunition in a certain amount of time. It is a fun way to remember the periodic table!

Twister is a new template on the site and is great! A student can create fictional ‘status updates’ for a historical person. Questions for student consideration are provided on the site:

• What are the most important people in this topic?
• What was their most important moment within the topic?
• What would their comment be about it?
• What particular keywords would they use within their comment?
• What hashtag could they maybe use at the end of the message?
• What nickname did they have / could we invent to use as their username?

Using a popular social networking tool is a fantastic way to get students interested in history. ClassTools.net suggest printing the updated twister pages for display.

There are plenty of other great templates on this site. It is well worth having a look.