Cookie Policy

Our website uses cookies to understand content and feature usage to drive site improvements over time. To learn more, review our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Skip Navigation
OER Logo

Causation – Recipe for a Revolution

Page 1 of 4
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-1CAUSATION—RECIPE FOR A REVOLUTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.1 ACTIVITYPreparation• Download “Ingredients for Revolution”• Download “The Atlantic Revolutions”PurposeIn this activity, you’ll create a recipe that explains the causes for a particular political revolution. Since revolutions are often messy (and bloody!), analyzing the causes and categorizing them will allow you to expand your understanding of how causation helps to explain historical processes and how historians focus on particular causes to shape people’s understanding of these events. PracticesComparisonYou will further develop your causation skills by comparing different revolutions. By evaluating the similarities and differences between revolutions, you will be able to understand causal relationships more fully, in particular as they relate to the causes of revolutions across different temporal and spatial settings.ProcessFor this activity, you’ll be creating a recipe to “cook up” a political revolution. First, you’ll be assigned one of the revolutions you’ve already read about in this era. Then, you’ll create a recipe that consists of causes—your list of “ingredients”—for your revolution. You’ll also include detailed directions about how to combine all the ingredients in your recipe. These directions will actually be an account of how the causes led to a revolution.Part 1: Categorizing CausesYour teacher will break the class into groups of three to four students and assign each group one of the following political revolutions: American, French, or Latin American. Then your teacher will either hand out or have you download the Causation—Recipe for a Revolution worksheet, which includes the Causation Tool. Review the articles “Ingredients for Revolution” and “The Atlantic Revolutions” and take notes on the causes of your assigned revolution. You might need to conduct additional research to find enough causes. If you do conduct outside research, make sure someone in your group keeps a list of where you found your information/sources. As you research, be sure to include the appropriate evidence (that is, the “good” evidence) for the causes for your revolution. These might include dates, key terms, and names that relate to the revolution. After your group has identified all of the causes, complete the Causation Tool.Part 2: Creating the RecipeUse your causes from the Causation Tool to create your recipe for revolution. Here are the steps you’ll have to follow:1. Write the list of “ingredients” (the causes of the revolution). Note: You should have eight to ten causes in your list of ingredients. 2. Next, rank your causes from most essential to least essential, with 1 being the most essential. This will be your ingredient list for the recipe. Then, Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Causation—Recipe For A Revolution”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/
STUDENT MATERIALSSTUDENT MATERIALSS-2CAUSATION—RECIPE FOR A REVOLUTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.1 ACTIVITYexplain how your top three ingredients compare with the bottom three. Ranking the causes will help you understand the relative significance of each cause. 3. Create “directions” (that is, preparation steps). This can be accomplished by answering the following question: How does each cause come together (or get “mixed”) to create revolution? Think about the verbs you might see in a recipe such as mix, blend, stir, chop, and sprinkle. There are lots of other examples—use your imagination!• The event that triggered the revolution• Timeframe/periodization• Historical contextPart 3: Comparing CausesOnce all groups are finished, you’ll share your recipe with the class. Then, your group will learn about the causes of a different revolution from one other group. You’ll then work on your own to write a two- to three-paragraph response about how the causes of the other group’s revolution were similar to and different from the one on which you wrote your recipe.Your teacher will collect your worksheets and paragraphs and use them to assess how your causation skills are progressing.
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-3CAUSATION—RECIPE FOR A REVOLUTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.1 ACTIVITYPart 1: Categorizing CausesCausation ToolDirections: First, add the event you are analyzing (in the middle of the page). Be sure to include dates, location, and a brief description of the event. Then, list your causes (at the top of the page) and use the legend to help you label type and role. Finally, list the effects of the event (bottom of page), and again use the legend to help you label type and role. If your teacher asks you to create a causal map, use your answers here to help construct that causal representation.Causes: Long-TermIntermediate-TermShort-TermEvent (include the name, dates, location, and a brief description) EffectsLegendType:(P) Political (I) Innovation ($) Economic (C) Cultural (E) Environmental (S) SocialRole:(*) Triggering Event Necessary Relevant
Name:Date:Name:Date:STUDENT MATERIALSS-4CAUSATION—RECIPE FOR A REVOLUTIONWORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 6.1 ACTIVITYPart 2: Creating Your Recipe Directions:1. Write the list of “ingredients” (the causes of the revolution). Note: You should have eight to ten causes in your list of ingredients. 2. Next, rank your causes from most essential to least essential, with 1 being the most essential. This will be your ingredient list for the recipe. Then, explain how your top three ingredients compare with the bottom three. Ranking the causes will help you understand the relative significance of each cause. 3. Create “directions” (that is, preparation steps). This can be accomplished by answering the following question: How does each cause come together (or get “mixed”) to create revolution? Think about the verbs you might see in a recipe such as mix, blend, stir, chop, and sprinkle. There are lots of other examples—use your imagination!• The event that triggered the revolution• Timeframe/periodization• Historical context4. Don’t forget to cite your sources and be prepared to share your recipe with the class.Explain the causes of:Part 3: Comparing CausesDirections:Learn about the causes of a different revolution from another group. Then, individually write a two- to three-paragraph response about how the causes of this revolution were similar to and different from the one on which you wrote your recipe.