Grades 6-8
Learning about cause and consequence
Overview
This lesson is one of a series that introduces six historical thinking concepts developed by Peter Seixas of the
University of British Columbia. Each lesson supports teachers in using a video to introduce one of the concepts. The
videos are available at http://www.tc2.ca/videos.php. The lessons are available in different versions for grades 6-8
and grades 9-12.
This lesson’s written materials and six-minute Cause and Consequence video offer an engaging way to introduce
the concept of cause and consequence to students in grades 6-8. The video features the mysterious murder of
the Donnelly family from the Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History website. The question is asked, What
are the range of factors that contributed to the event? Factors such as people, ideas and beliefs, institutions and
even other events are considered, as well as whether causes are immediate or underlying. The question, Which of
the causes are most influential? is also addressed. The video ends with a look at the consequences of this event,
expected and planned and unexpected and unplanned.
Cause and consequence
Historians are like detectives; they try to understand what happened in the past, and why it happened. The
concepts of cause and consequence address who or what influenced events to occur and what the repercussions of
those events were.
Objectives
Students will understand that:
• events have a variety of different and often unappreciated causes
• causes can be immediate or underlying
• consequences can be immediate or long-term
• broad underlying causes are often more important than immediate causes
• people, alone or in groups, can cause events, but so can other forces such as ideas, beliefs (religion, politics),
institutions (governments) and other events
• consequences can be intended and unintended
This resource was developed with contributions from:
BC
HERITAGE
FAIRS
Internment Canada
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© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
Learning about cause and consequence
Suggested activities
BEFORE THE VIDEO
Consider personal causes and consequences
Invite students to consider causes and consequences of the grade they received on a recent test. Display the list of
ideas and ask students to answer the following:
•
What are the wide-ranging causes of the grade they received? Which of these are more immediate and
which are underlying? Ask students to think beyond how much time they had, and consider broad factors
such as health, economics or other aspects of their social and physical environment. Possible student
responses may include having to work to support their family thus leaving little time for study, suffering
from an illness or having to care for a family member.
•
What are the immediate and possible long-term consequences of the grade they received? Again, ask
students to think as broadly as possible about aspects of their social and physical environment, including
possible economic and psychological impacts. Possible student responses may include a negative impact on a
grade required for post-secondary acceptance or a loss of confidence in a student’s ability.
Create a cause and consequence web
Invite students to record their thoughts using the activity sheet, Web of causes and
consequences. Ask students to organize the causes and consequences in a way
that communicates immediate and underlying causes and immediate and longterm consequences. Encourage students to elaborate on connections and show
how one event may have led to another using arrows and possibly text between
circles.
Student
activity
sheet
Name: ___
Web of
Long ter
causes and
_________
_________
consequen
_________
ces
___
Conseque
nce
m
Immediate
Event:
Determine importance
Discuss with students how causes and consequences of events in history are
similar to those in their own lives in that they can be immediate, underlying
or long-term, and some causes and consequences are more important than
others. Explain to students that in order to determine the most important
causes and consequences, they need to provide evidence to support their
claims by using the following criteria.
Cause
Immediate
Underlyin
g
Learning
about caus
e and cons
equence
7
© 2014,
The Criti
cal Thin
king Con
sortium
www.tc2.
ca
Determining the importance of causes
•
Evidence of a causal connection. Is the cause clearly connected with the event and not just a coincidence? If
this factor were removed, how likely is it that the event would still have occurred?
•
Degree of influence. To what extent did the cause contribute to the direction and intensity of the event or
make other causes more or less important?
•
Absence of alternative explanations. Is there no reason to suspect that some other factor, closely aligned
with the suggested causal factor, can explain the outcome?
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© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
Learning about cause and consequence
Determining the importance of consequences
•
Depth of impact: How deeply felt or profound was the consequence?
•
Breadth of impact: How widespread were its impacts?
•
Duration of impact: How long-lasting was the consequence?
Introduce the Donnelly family murders
Read the following information to the class:
During a winter night in 1880, the Donnelly family was massacred by an angry mob and their farm was
burned to the ground. These Irish Catholics had lived in southern Ontario for decades, eking out a living
from the land. The head of the clan, James, had done prison time for killing another Irishman who had
questioned the Donnellys’ right to the land they lived on. Thirteen men were tried on two separate
occasions for the murder of the Donnellys; no one was ever convicted. Interest in the event remains high;
several books and a play have been written and a museum has recently been established.
Based on this introduction to the Donnelly murders, ask students in pairs or small groups to identify and record the
immediate and underlying causes and the immediate and longterm consequences of the event, in the first row of the activity
sheet, Causes and consequences.
Student
activity she
et
Source
Introduct
ion to the
Donnelly
family
murders
Causes an
Immedia
te causes
Name: ___
_________
d conseq
Underlying
uences
causes
_________
Immedia
te
conseque
nces
DURING THE VIDEO
Video an
Invite students to view the video, Cause and Consequence,
and to look for any evidence that will inform and change
their decisions while they learn about the Donnelly murders.
They may wish to refine the “Introduction to the Donnelly
family murders” section of the activity sheet, Causes and
Consequences, by circling evidence that is corroborated by
information in the video, and underlining evidence that is
not supported by the video. If possible, provide students
with multiple opportunities to view the video.
_________
___
Long-term
conseque
nces
d readin
g
Group dis
cus
sion
Student
Learning
about caus
AFTER THE VIDEO
Expand causes and consequences with additional evidence
Using information from the video and the information sheet, Murder
of the Donnellys: Cause and consequence,1 invite students to complete
the “Video and reading” section of the activity sheet, Causes and
consequences.
e and con
sequence
informati
on shee
t
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of the Do
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ip
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d. On Feb
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ruary 3rd
at night,
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complaine were burned do
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Johnny
ld feed the
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family we James
night, wi
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rning wh
elly home ed
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cabin be
nnellys tra stead,
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led James rns. He hid unde
and went
r his bed
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to the do e continuing to
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in
the
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or to see
fe, one son
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home of
what wa
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and a nie
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ce. The mo
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b then set
n of Lucan
was mista y. William`s bro
called it
ther Joh
ken for
was sho
“the bla
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cke
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others cel
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st crime
they heard
every com
ebrated
t
de
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.
. Local offi
ab
mi
home of
cials arrest tted in the Domi out the murders.
the eye
witness,
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ed 13 pe
could no
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Canada.
t come to
O’Conno
murder,
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a decision
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loss;
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the groun
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began im
verdict.
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The Donn
l. The jur
ond tria
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elly fam
their fam
l in which
ily moved
ily
James
on with
remained members. Two
their live
of James`
in the Lu
s, but the
children
can area,
admitte
y promised
, Patrick
d to the
be
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to aveng
an
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e the de
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, some of
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bert
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the memb
made a
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ys has fas
with nu
athbed.
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Learning
merous
thousand
about hist
books an
orical sign
s, from the
d a play
ificance
written
days imme
about it.
diately fol
lowing
6
© 2014,
The Crit
ical Thin
king Con
sortium
Additional information about this historic event can be found on the Great Unsolved Mysteries web site:
www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/donnellys/home/indexen.html
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© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
1
Learning about cause and consequence
Form and share judgments
Ask students in pairs or small groups to share and discuss their causes,
consequences and evidence, and give them an opportunity to adjust
their responses in the “Student discussion” section of the activity
sheet, Causes and consequences, according to their discussion.
Student
Introduct
ion to the
Donnelly
family
murders
Video and
Discuss with the class the differences in the actual causes of the
Donnelly murders and those they speculated about from the few
sentences they were given prior to the video. Invite the class to
consider the role that additional evidence from different sources
plays in deepening their understanding of cause and consequence.
activity she
et
Source
Immediate
Causes and
causes
Name: ___
_________
consequen
ces
Underlyin
g causes
_________
Immediate
consequen
ces
_________
___
Long-term
consequen
ces
reading
Group dis
cussion
Learning
about caus
e and cons
equence
8
Suggest that the historical accounts of events may not provide the
broad context to explain the cause; in other words, students should be cautious
when reaching conclusions about historical causes and consequences based on little evidence.
Identify the most important causes and consequences
In preparation for students to draw conclusions about the most important causes
and consequences, invite students to use information from their Causes and
consequences activity sheet to complete the Identifying important causes and
consequences.
Student
© 2014,
activity
cal Thinking
Consortiu
m www
.tc2.ca
sheet
Name: ___
Identifyin
Identify
_________
g import
three cau
_________
ant causes
ses and
_________
cause or
and con
three con
consequen
___
sequences
sequences
ce a rating
that you
Causes
and the
deem to
n provid
be import
e eviden
ant. Giv
ce for its
e each
importanc
1
e below
2
.
Not
at all imp
3
ortant
1
2
Reasons:
1
Reasons:
Form and share judgments
Invite students to share their judgments of the most important causes and
consequences.
1
5
very imp
ortant
4
3
2
Reasons:
4
3
2
5
4
3
5
4
5
Consequen
ces
1
Not at all
importa
nt
1
1
1
4
4
3
2
Reasons:
about caus
3
3
2
Reasons:
Learning
2
2
Reasons:
Reiterate for students that when they make judgements about the most
important causes and consequences, they must do so by supporting their claim
with strong evidence in light of the criteria. Remind students of the criteria
previously established.
The Criti
5
very imp
ortant
5
4
3
5
4
5
e and cons
equence
9
© 2014,
The Criti
cal Thin
king Cons
ortium
www.tc2.
ca
You might want to tally the responses on the board and discuss explanations
for the differences between student responses (i.e., there are no `right` answers, judgments
differ depending on how evidence is used). In other words, be sure to focus on the quality of student reasoning in
light of criteria rather than specific choices. Discuss with students whether underlying factors or immediate ones
tend to be more important; often it is the former, not the latter.
Revisit everyday life example
An additional option is to invite students in pairs to analyze the causes and consequences they listed earlier
regarding the grade they obtained on a test, using the activity sheet, Identifying important causes and
consequences.
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© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
Learning about cause and consequence
Assess for understanding
In order to assess whether students are beginning to develop an understanding of cause and consequence, you
might use the following activities:
• Listen to student conversations when they are asked to discuss cause and consequence. Are they using
criteria and evidence in their conversations?
• When identifying causes and consequences of historical events, do students choose powerful and relevant
pieces of evidence to support their justifications?
• Examine student use of the activity sheet Identifying important causes and consequences. Have they selected
accurate and relevant evidence? Do their ratings reflect an understanding of the evidence?
• At a later date, when students are once again asked to determine the causes and consequences of a
historical event, do they continue to consider the criteria discussed during this lesson?
TAKING IT FURTHER
The following activities could be used to further develop the concepts of cause and consequence.
•
Identify the critical agents of a historical event. For example, what were the causes of Canadian women
being given the right to vote?
•
Compare intentions with results. For example, were the results of Gavrilo Princip’s assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand what he hoped they would be?
•
Identify significant causes. For example, significant causes of the Great Depression included easy credit,
overspending, stock market speculation and drought.
•
Rank order key causes or consequences of an event such as a World War.
•
Explore causal interrelationships, such as the causes of civilization collapse, in which there is interplay
between factors such as change in climate, natural disasters, overuse of resources and political changes.
•
Assess the impact of a historical event such as European contact with Aboriginal peoples.
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Student information sheet
Murder of the Donnellys: Cause and consequence
The Donnellys emigrated from Ireland during the 1840s and settled in the township of Biddulph,
near Lucan, Ontario, north of London. Their property did not legally belong to them; they had
“squatted.” It was actually owned by the Canada Company and granted to another settler, James
Grace. There were a number of squabbles about this and several neighbours became involved.
Eventually, James Donnelly Sr., fuelled by liquor at a community logging bee, killed one of these
neighbours with an ice pick. James paid for this crime with seven years in prison; his family paid by
having their reputation sullied forever.
Trouble followed the Donnellys. Their Irish background and their commitment to the Catholic
faith were often at the root of it. Though Roman Catholic, they were friendly to Protestants as well,
which created difficulties. A parish priest could exert tremendous influence over a community and
John Connolly was such a priest. He did not like the Donnellys because they did not conform to his
vision of a proper Catholic. He actively turned the community against them.
The Donnellys` community were accustomed to violence. It would be impossible to list
all of the crimes perpetrated by the Donnelly clan but they were not always the perpetrators;
sometimes they were the victims. Crime was so rampant in Biddulph that in 1859 a local authority
told Attorney General (and future Prime Minister) John A. Macdonald that it was not safe to go
there and recommended travel during daylight hours only. The Donnellys may not have committed
all of the crimes for which they were blamed. Many of their accusers were long-standing enemies
and members of the infamous Vigilance Committee, supposedly created to help prevent crime
in Biddulph. Constable James Carroll, a Donnelly enemy, was involved in this committee. He
encouraged townsfolk to abhor the Donnellys and promised to rid the township of them.
On January 15, 1880 the barns of Patrick “Grouchy” Ryder were burned down. James
Donnelly was falsely accused. On February 3rd, James complained that his family were “blamed
for everything.” That night, thirteen year-old Johnny O’Connor was at the Donnelly homestead,
spending the night so he could feed the animals in the morning while the Donnellys travelled to a
nearby town for a trial hearing about the Ryder barns. He hid under his bed in the middle of the
night, witness to a vicious mob who killed James Sr., his wife, one son and a niece. The mob then set
fire to the cabin before continuing to the home of William Donnelly. William`s brother John awoke
and went to the door to see what was happening. He was mistaken for William and shot dead.
The town of Lucan was shocked when they heard about the murders. Local newspapers
called it “the blackest crime every committed in the Dominion” of Canada. Some lamented the loss;
others celebrated. Local officials arrested 13 people for murder, including James Carroll. The family
home of the eye witness, Johnny O’Connor, was burned to the ground before the trial. The jury
could not come to a decision but preparations began immediately for a second trial in which James
Carroll was given a not guilty verdict.
The Donnelly family moved on with their lives, but they promised to avenge the deaths of
their family members. Two of James` children, Patrick and Jenny, moved away. William and Robert
remained in the Lucan area, becoming both lawmakers and lawbreakers. In 1908, Robert was
admitted to the London Psychiatric Hospital. Interestingly, some of the members of the Vigilance
Committee also suffered violent deaths: a fact William made a note of on his deathbed.
The murder of the Donnellys has fascinated thousands, from the days immediately following
up to the present, with numerous books and a play written about it.
Learning about historical significance
6
© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium
Name: _________________________________
Student activity sheet
Web of causes and consequences
Consequence
Long term
Immediate
Event:
Cause
Immediate
Underlying
Learning about cause and consequence
7
© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Immediate causes
Student activity sheet
Source of information
Introduction to the
Donnelly family
murders
Video and reading
Student discussion
Learning about cause and consequence
Causes and consequences
Underlying causes
8
Long-term
consequences
Name: _________________________________
Immediate
consequences
© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca
Name: _________________________________
Student activity sheet
Identifying important causes and consequences
Identify three causes and three consequences that you deem to be important. Give each
cause and consequence a rating and then provide evidence for its importance below.
Causes
1
2
3
4
Not at all important
1
5
Very important
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
Reasons:
1
Reasons:
1
Reasons:
Consequences
1
Not at all important
1
5
Very important
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
Reasons:
1
Reasons:
1
Reasons:
Learning about cause and consequence
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© 2014, The Critical Thinking Consortium www.tc2.ca