OER Causation One-Pager
History is not a straight line. Historical events are the product of a web of interrelated causes and consequences, and understanding that web is at the center of a historian’s work. Teaching students how to reason about causes and consequences can help them develop evidence-based explanations and arguments in response to a causal question that considers human actions, events, and larger structures or processes. In OER Project’s Causation Activity Progression, students are introduced to the historical thinking skill of causation in a low-stakes introduction activity featuring Alphonse the Camel. Next, students progress to beginning activities that use historical examples but provide plenty of scaffolding to ensure their success. Asthey become more familiar with causal reasoning, students will move on to intermediate activities. By the end of this activity progression, students should be skilled in analyzing long-, intermediate-, and short-term causes, as well as determining their significance, role, and type.OER Project Causation ActivityProgression Placement:Click here to find the causation activities in the course you teach.Thinking Tools: Thinking tools help students become familiar with the steps they should take to engage with each historical thinking skill. Over time, students will rely upon the tools less, but they’re always there to support them. The Causation Tool is included in each of our causation activities, but can also be used any time you want students to analyze the causes and effects of a historical topic.Feedback Forms: Feedback forms break down the progression of skills that will guide students to success with each skill. Use these to evaluate how well students are progressing, and to guide instructional decisions based on student success or need for specific intervention. Note that sometimes portions of the feedback form are grayed out—not every activity asks students to meet all the criteria on the form. The Causation Feedback Form is included in the lesson guide for each activity. Tips and Tricks from Teachers•Causal maps can help students avoid monocausal thinking.•Having students label causes and consequences will allow them to understand the complexity of causalthinking because they’ll quickly see that effects can also be causes.•Starting with a broad causal question that’s tied to something that impacts your students personally will helpthem see how the past affects the present and how it might impact the future.Learn more in the OER Project Historical Thinking Skills Guide.HISTORICAL THINKING SKILL: CAUSATIONOER Project Causation Tool