How do I create effective one-pagers to explain what I learn in history class?

If you're looking for a more engaging way to demonstrate your understanding of history, one-pagers may be just what you need!

One-pagers allow students to recall, review, and present ideas in an engaging way. They're proven to be a powerful tool for promoting your comprehension (how much you understand) and retention (how much you remember) of class material.

Photo by Matt Ragland on Unsplash

One-pagers are creative expressions of what you've learned. An effective one-pager combines 2 key elements — images with short phrases or keywords — to demonstrate key takeaways about a given topic.

Here's an example of a one-pager that summarizes key takeaways from a unit on European exploration:

The image is owned by the author of this Byte.

While text is kept short and to the point, a one-pager requires a thorough understanding of a topic. One-pagers should cover the subject from multiple angles, demonstrating your deep understanding of the topic.

Dual coding theory is the basis for using one-pagers as a learning tool. This theory asserts that your learning will improve when content is presented in both visual and verbal form.

One-pagers are great as a process to remember or review information, as they activate the two parts of the brain responsible for processing visual and verbal information.

Demonstrate what you've learned with a combination of text and images that are either handwritten or digital.

Text

• keywords

• quotes

• short summaries

• size and location of text

Images

• pictures

• symbols

• stylized font

• use of color

The use of text and visuals should be balanced. One shouldn't totally dominate the other.

Tip

Don't be afraid of drawing! It's the process of creating images, not the quality of your artistic skills, that helps you learn and shows what you understand.

Check out the visual alphabet for some tips on how to draw anything with only a few shapes, dots, and lines.

While a one-pager can be set up however you'd like, a guide or template is helpful when you're just starting out.

Templates will give you a starting point to organize your thoughts and content. As you become more familiar with the process, feel free to branch out into different setups.

You can get started setting up your one-pager using this simple layout:

There's no need to print out templates. Drawing the set-up in your notebook works just as well. Check out this and other free templates here.

One-pagers have been used in various fields. Within education, they're mostly seen in an English class, but they work any time you want to show what you know.

In a history class, one-pagers can be used to demonstrate what you've learned or as a tool to process what you are learning.

Demonstrate Learning

Explain, summarize, analyze any of the following types of content:

• historical figures

• historical events

• concepts

• current events

Process Content

Use one-pagers as a kind of note-taking template to track your learning:

• take notes on a presentation

• summarize a reading

• summarize a video, film, or podcast

• create a one-pager as a review or study tool

Creating one-pagers gets easier with practice, especially if you don't consider yourself an artistic person.

Get started today and build your comfort and pleasure with the process!