This is a skill which helps students to understand seemingly complex material.
If we take the rather complex life of King Henry VIII of England and map some of the information regarding his and his wives' histories, we end up with the following information in table format. Not all information available has been inserted.
| WIFE | MARRIED | CHILDREN | DIED WHEN | DIED HOW | DAUGHTER OF | ALLIES |
| Katherine of Aragon | 1509 |
Mary | Old Age | King of Spain | Emperor Charles V of Spain | |
| Anne Boleyn | 1533 |
Elizabeth | 1536 | Executed | ||
| Jane Seymour | 1536 |
Edward | 1537 | After child birth | Court Official | |
| Anne of Cleves | 1540 |
Old Age | Protestant German Princes | |||
| Catherine Howard | 1540 |
1542 | Executed | |||
| Catherine Parr | 1543 |
Old Age |
The material becomes more manageable than 2 or 3 pages of close typing to explain this situation.
This method can be applied to many different pieces of information. Some from the current history syllabuses include
- Israeli Internal Politics and the various Peace Proposals
- Migration patterns in post WWII Australia
- Steps towards Federation in Australia
- The Nuremburg Laws and their affects on the Jews 1936 to 1945