One job of a historian is to make claims about why things happen. In other words, to determine what caused certain events to take place. This can be complicated because historical events rarely have a single, immediate cause. This activity is the first in the causation practice progression and it introduces you to the idea of causation. It will require you to think about the short-, intermediate-, and long-term causes of an event in a fictional story.

In this activity, you will first read the story of Alphonse the Camel, with a critical eye toward the causes of Alphonse’s death revealed in the story. Then, you will categorize causes and respond to questions about causation in the story, which will help you consider the story of Alphonse from an analytical perspective.

Capturing Causes

1. Take out the Causation – Alphonse the Camel worksheet.
2. Read the story of Alphonse together as a class.
3. Once you’ve read the story, think about all the things that may have caused Alphonse’s death. In small groups, arrange the cause cards in a line, starting with those that happened closest to Alphonse’s death and ending with those that happened furthest from his death. This will help you to create a visual timeline of events.

Alphonse the Camel

Once upon a time, there was a camel (called Alphonse). For various reasons (relating to an unfortunate accident during his birth) the camel had severe back problems. This was not the end of his misfortune, however, because he also had an evil, exploitative owner (called Frank the Camel Killer). Frank had hated camels ever since he experienced a nasty incident in his childhood involving a camel’s hoof and his rear end. He was very bitter and hadn’t trusted camels since.

Frank regularly overloaded his camels prior to taking them on grueling and totally unnecessary round trips up and down mountains on his way to deliver goods to his customers. These customers, shockingly, were completely indifferent to these frequent and gross violations of the rights of camels and even found Frank and his antics vaguely endearing. On top of it all, Alphonse was sometimes his own worst enemy. Camels are very proud creatures, and he would act tough in front of his camel friends, and on his rare breaks he would show off how much he could carry.

Plenty of camels had died doing similar work to Alphonse and his friends. After a particularly nasty few weeks when camels were keeling over left, right, and center, the camels decided to form a union to defend their rights and protect them from evil owners. However, when it comes down to it, camels are selfish creatures who don’t trust each other. They were more worried about looking after themselves than about working together, and the union soon fizzled out.

One Friday, Frank had just finished loading up Alphonse and his poor exploited fellow creatures for yet another grueling and totally unnecessary round trip up and down the mountains. He had piled and piled and piled up the goods onto Alphonse’s back and was taking a break, chewing a straw while thinking smugly about his handiwork. On a whim, he decided to add the bedraggled straw he had been chewing to Alphonse’s load. Alphonse groaned obligingly. He eyed his owner with disgust. He keeled over and died of radical and irreversible back collapse.

Categorizing Causes

1. Historians often think about causes in terms of long term, intermediate term, and short term. If you had to divide up the causes you have on your timeline, which would be short, which would be intermediate, and which would be long? Be ready to discuss how you divided up your causes with the class.
2. Next, identify the triggering event with a star (*). Talk with your class about what a triggering event is.
3. Now, discuss the following questions with your class:
   • What caused Alphonse’s death?
   • Which causes were most important? Least important?
4. Take out the Causation Tool and review it with your teacher. You’re going to revisit the idea of causation throughout the course, and the tool will help you organize their thinking around causation.

This unit is all about the origins of our Universe—the Big Bang. But how do we know about these origins and what types of experts contributed to our understanding of this scientific theory? This video introduces the Big History concept of collective learning. Generations of scholars contributed to our understanding of the origins of the Universe. But, we still have many unanswered questions. The only way to find these answers is for scholars in a variety of disciplines to continue contributing to collective learning.

In this video, you’ll learn about the origins of our Universe and some of the many different scholars that contributed to our collective knowledge. The history of our understanding of the Universe is filled with a lot of trial and error. Some theories were rejected while other discoveries led to new theories. You’ll learn that we’ve come a long way in our understanding of the origins of the Universe. But you’ll also learn about what we still don’t understand as scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of our Universe.

Preview

As a reminder, open and skim the transcript, and read the questions before you watch the video.

Key Ideas – Factual

Think about the following questions as you watch this video:

1. How does the image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2003 allow us to see galaxies as they were billions of years ago?
2. What is Hubble’s Law, and what did this law help prove?
3. How did our understanding of the Universe change over time?
4. Why is understanding the scientific discoveries about our Universe important when studying history?
5. What key Big History concepts did you learn about in Unit 1?
6. What is the Big Bang?
7. What is collective learning?
8. What does the word disciplines mean?

Thinking Conceptually

1. Why do we know a lot more about what happened after the Big Bang rather than what came before it?
2. What are some real-world examples, maybe from your life or local history, that illustrate the concept of collective learning?

Understanding vocabulary is integral to you being able to access course content. This word wall activity will expose you to some of the most important words in Unit 2.

In this activity, you’ll work with your class to create a word wall using the Unit 2 vocabulary.

Your teacher will assign a vocab card to each of you. Once you get yours, take a few minutes to look it up in the Unit 2 Vocab Guide and then examine the unit itself (click around and quickly skim the content) to see where in the unit your word might be most applicable. Once you’ve done your research, create a sentence using your word. And, just like you did in Unit 1, get ready to argue for why your word is the “best” one to start with. After everyone has given a pitch on their word, you’ll all decide which two words should make it onto the wall first.

Your teacher may add some fun twists to this assignment, so be sure to listen closely for directions!

The Big Bang, the first threshold moment in Big History, is the beginning of the story that will be told in this course. Everything we know in the Universe came from the Big Bang, and that’s why it’s so important. The Big Bang is the start of Big History’s origin story.

Clip 8:25-12:04. This video introduces you to the first threshold moment, nearly 14 billion years ago—the Big Bang.

Preview

It is the quietest quiet you can possibly imagine. Then suddenly, out of nothing, everything begins. It’s Big History’s first threshold—the Big Bang. In a fraction of a second, all of the energy that will ever exist appears in a flash. Everything begins at that moment.

Key Ideas – Factual

Think about the following questions as you watch the video:

1. What is Big History’s first threshold and where did it come from?
2. What fundamental force appears after the Big Bang that is part of the forces that govern all existence forever?
3. What could have gone wrong in the first few seconds of the Universe?
4. Why is the Big Bang the first of eight thresholds?

Thinking Conceptually

Why do you think the Big Bang is still so important to us today?

The appearance of complex things in the Universe represents turning points that are called thresholds of increasing complexity, which are critical to the Big History story. The eight thresholds explored in the course provide an organizational framework, and the discussion of each threshold will serve as the focus for the units. The crossing of each of these thresholds indicates that new, complex things have appeared in the Universe and that the overall complexity of the Universe has increased.

Most people will tell you that they know the difference between something that is simple and something that is complex. The problem, though, is that if you ask a group of people to define complexity, you’ll get a wide variety of answers. This article will give you a deeper understanding of how to define complexity and the importance of threshold moments in the Big History course.

Skimming for Gist

Fill out the Skimming for Gist section of the Three Close Reads Worksheet as you do your first close read.

Understanding Content

By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What makes a thing complex?
2. What is an emergent property?
3. Why are complex things fragile?
4. What insight does the Second Law of Thermodynamics provide about complexity?
5. What are Goldilocks Conditions?
6. What are the three characteristics of a threshold of increasing complexity?

Thinking Conceptually

At the end of the third close read, expand on the concept of Goldilocks Conditions, applying it to your own life and experiences. Did any of the examples of Goldilocks Conditions in your own life allow unique thresholds to emerge? If so, what were the emergent properties?

Big History Project research has shown that when you have a solid grasp on the driving course narrative (which includes BHP’s “eight thresholds of increasing complexity), you are more easily able to take part in the course in a way that encourages deep and lasting learning. One way to more easily remember the course narrative is to revisit the thresholds throughout the course. The thresholds function like plot points, thereby punctuating and framing David Christian’s Big History story. This is the first quick activity in a series in which you’ll review a graphical representation of each threshold, and after watching the corresponding video that introduces the threshold, determine (in your own words) what happened at each threshold of increasing complexity.

Reading, writing, causation
Although you aren’t engaging in formal reading of texts as part of this activity, you do conduct image analysis, which is often considered a form of reading. “Reading” graphics is a skill that you will work on throughout the course. Ultimately, you’ll be asked to construct your own meaning from the activity, writing in your own words what happened at each threshold.

Look at the BHP Thresholds Graphic. What do you notice? Do you think you could make up a story from these pictures alone?

Now, look at the image for Threshold 1 on the left side of the page. Then, look at the word cloud. Based on the picture and the words, can you guess what is happening in that first image? Talk about this quickly with your class, and then watch the video Threshold 1: The Big Bang.

After watching the video, construct a hashtag or two that represents, in your own words, what is happening in that first image. Once you’ve figured out your hashtags, write them down in the empty box below the first picture on the Thresholds Graphic. You’re going to revisit this graphic throughout the course, which will help support, extend, or challenge what you already know about the Big History story.

You may not really be familiar with what it means to “support, extend, and challenge” when it comes to ideas, but you will encounter this language throughout the course, so you might want to review how we think about these ideas in BHP:

• Support – Ideas and evidence that you encounter that reinforce what you already know about something.
• Extend – Ideas and evidence that add to and broaden what you already know about something.
• Challenge – Ideas and evidence that go against what you already know about something and may even change what you think about that thing.

So, did anything you saw in the video, the picture, or the word cloud support, extend, or challenge what you already know about the Big History story? Make sure to hand in your Thresholds Graphic to your teacher—you will be using it every time you encounter a new threshold in the first part of the course.

The Big Bang is an important threshold because it created new ingredients and conditions that became the building blocks for everything in the known Universe. These few raw materials make it possible for you, our planet, our Solar System, and the entire Universe to exist.

In this video, David Christian, the creator of Big History, provides another introduction to the Big Bang. Having some duplicate information, particularly about difficult concepts such as the Big Bang should help you begin to grasp how important the Big Bang really is.

Preview

The Big Bang remains a mystery in many ways. We have a lot of evidence for what happened just after, but we can only guess at what existed before. One of the biggest mysteries is what conditions were present to make the Big Bang possible.

Key Ideas – Factual

Think about the following questions as you watch the video:

1. How long ago did the Big Bang happen? (Warning: this is kind of a trick question!)
2. What made the Big Bang possible? Why did the Big Bang happen? Was there space and time before the Big Bang?
3. When did matter and energy form after the Big Bang?
4. What forms did energy take after the Big Bang?

Thinking Conceptually

There are lots of mysteries still surrounding the Big Bang, and new discoveries are still being made. Inflation and string theory are two great examples of this. (If you don’t know what they are, look them up in This Threshold Today, which follows the vocabulary activity that’s up next.) Why is thinking about the Big Bang still important to us today?

In this activity, you will search for and read news articles that reveal unexpected connections between today’s world and the first threshold of increasing complexity: the Big Bang. This will help you understand how things we learn today are related to what we know about the Big Bang. Understanding the Big Bang’s relevance to today should help you connect more with the theories related to the Big Bang, theories that are sometimes tricky to understand.

Reading, claim testing
As part of this activity, you’ll be reading news articles online. These will vary in difficulty and style, so, where possible, use the skills you’ve learned as part of the Three Close Reads process to help you better understand these texts. When searching for information online, you will also use claim testers to evaluate the credibility of sources you encounter.

Everything in the Universe is the result of the Big Bang. All the matter that formed Earth, all the materials that formed the stars and galaxies that light up the night sky, and all the building blocks for everything in the Universe were once contained in a tiny singularity. Even space and time as we know them emerged from the Big Bang. All these details help to explain why the Big Bang is considered the first “new complexity” in the Universe and the first major threshold of increasing complexity in this course. Scientists, along with the rest of us, continue to learn more about the Big Bang and how our Universe formed.

You can join in this process of discovery by searching for news stories about the Big Bang and the history of our Universe. Use some of the suggested websites below, or find ones on your own that highlight new information that you think contributes to a discussion of the Big Bang today. When searching for information online, be sure to carefully evaluate the articles you choose by thinking about the credibility of the source. This will help you determine whether or not you can trust the claims an article is making.

One way to determine an article’s credibility is to ask yourself:

• What person or group is behind the website where you found the article?
• Why are they sharing this information?
• What authority do the website and author have about the topic?

In thinking about these questions, you may need to do additional research to find out more about the source, which might involve opening a new tab and searching for information about a publication, group, or author. Engaging in this process can help you determine if a website is worth your time. Additionally, you can ask yourself the following questions to assess authority:

• Does the person have a degree or extensive education or experience in the field they’re writing about?
• Do they have publications in the field that are cited by others?
• Is the website hosting the content known and respected for featuring that type of content?

Take out the This Threshold Today: The Big Bang worksheet and record your sources and some of the details about what you discover in your search. Here are some websites you might find helpful (but feel free to use others!):

• Live Science: The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries
• ZME Science: Not Exactly Rocket Science
• Space.com: NASA, Space Exploration and Astronomy News
• Smithsonian Magazine: History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places
• Science News Magazine

There are still many unanswered questions about the Big Bang. Astrophysicists like Janna Levin spend their time trying to figure out the answers to those questions.

This video will help you get familiar with what we understand about the Big Bang and what about it is still a mystery so that you can start to understand the theory in more depth.

Preview

Observing the Universe tells us a lot about the Big Bang, yet scientists are still searching for more answers. Remember, no one is certain about what happened before the Big Bang, so your guess is as good as anyone’s given you provide the appropriate support to back it up.

Key Ideas – Factual

Think about this question as you watch the video:

1. What are some of the questions we still can’t answer about the Big Bang?

Thinking Conceptually

At this point, you should revisit the claims that you evaluated at the beginning of the lesson. Have you changed your mind about what you claimed was correct or not? Be ready to explain your thinking to either justify or disprove each claim.

In this activity, you’ll demonstrate all that you’ve learned so far about the Big Bang by creating an infographic. It’s really important to be sure you understand as much as possible about the Big Bang before moving on to other concepts.

In groups, you’ll create an infographic that demonstrates your understanding of the Big Bang. Part of this infographic will include information about how the Big Bang relates to scientific discoveries that are still being made today (you can use your research from This Threshold Today, if it helps).

Your infographic will include attention to the following:

• Topic: The topic of the infographic is specific in nature and is intended to inform or convince the viewer.
• Type: The type of infographic chosen (for example, timeline or informational) highly supports the content being presented.
• Objects: The objects included in the infographic are relevant and support the topic of the infographic.
• Data Visualizations: The data visualizations present accurate data and are easy to understand.
• Style: Fonts, colors, and organization are aesthetically pleasing, appropriate to the content, and enhance the viewer’s understanding of the information in the infographic.
• Citations: Full bibliographic citations for all sources used are included

In addition, you have to provide an explanation and demonstration of your knowledge of the following:

• expansion of the Universe
• cosmic background radiation
• redshift

Your teacher will show you examples of infographics, if you’re not sure what they look like. Also, keep in mind that as you start to draft your infographic, you might want to narrow the topic down a bit. You might present the timeline of the Big Bang, you might show an infographic to represent the Big Bang and expansion—there are tons of directions you can go with this—just make sure to check in with your teacher to make sure the scope of your idea isn’t too big or too small and that you are covering the topics asked for.

Before you get started, review the Infographic Worksheet since this is what you will be graded on. When you’re done, you’ll probably present your infographic to the class, so be sure it looks great!