Diamond 9 Activity: Causes of the First World War

This great resource is designed to help students understand why the causes of the First World War 1914 - 1918. The pedagogy underpinning this strategy is that when we rank items, either statements, objects or images, we are required to make explicit the over- arching relationships by which we organise our knowledge and connect our learning. It can used as a starter or plenary and is suitable for middle to upper ability students as a stretch and challenge task. If you would like something aimed at middle to lower ability students, then please check out my card sort of this topic in my TES shop. This task is primarily designed to help students prioritise the different factors in preparation for an extended answer or essay.

The resource nine diamond shaped cards which include a range of factors to explain the causes of the First World War. Once students have cut the cards out they are set three tasks including:

1. Remove any reasons that you don’t think are important. Record and explain why you have removed them.
2. Arrange the remaining diamonds to show any links that you can find between the different reasons. Record and explain your reasons.
3. Make a smaller diamond shape using what you think are the four most important causes of the First World War.

At each stage students should be feeding back to their group or the class and explaining their choices. The discussion and explanation around the choices that they have made are critical in helping them develop their thinking skills as well as their arguments for writing their essay.

The aims and objectives for this lesson are:

Theme: Causes of the First World War 1914 - 1918
Know: What were the causes of the First World War?
Understand: What were the political, economic and social causes of the First World War?
Evaluate: Which factors were the most important?

WILF: What Am I Looking for?
Identify & describe: The main reasons why the First World War started in 1914?
Explain: How did each factor help to start the war?
Analyse: Which factors were the most important?

If you like this resource then why not check out my TES shop where you can find many similar ideas and resources. For example, we have a much simpler card sort on the causes of the First World War aimed at middle and lower ability students. You can also follow ‘The History Academy’ on Twitter, Google Plus, YouTube and Facebook for the latest updates or even to get in touch and chat about how you have used this resource or to ask questions. We aim to produce cheap and affordable resources for either the price of a good cup of coffee or a happy meal so that you can spend more time doing the things that you want.

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Kind Regards

Roy