Why Do People Revolt?

The main cause of the French Revolution is still debated by historians today. In this lesson, students will analyze several documents related to the French Revolution to determine what they believe to be the revolution's main cause. Students will use their prior knowledge of revolutions to classify influential conditions in pre-revolutionary France as political factors, social factors, or economic factors. They will use evidence from research documents to create a Flipgrid video to defend their reasoning behind what they believe was the main cause of the French Revolution.

Grade(s) Subject Time Frame Duration Course Modality
10th Social Studies 60 Minutes 1 - 2 Class Periods World History

Face-to-Face

Standards

WH.3.1 Analyze the causes and global impact of:
C. the French Revolution including the Napoleonic War

Essential Question

What causes people to revolt against authority?

5E Snapshot:

1. Engage

Students participate in a Padlet activity to discuss the word revolution and explain their prior knowledge about revolutions that have occurred throughout history.

2. Explore

Students complete a sorting activity to distinguish between political, social, and economic characteristics that can lead to revolutions.

3. Explain

Students analyze documents related to pre-revolutionary France and summarize each document. Students complete the sorting activity again with conditions that occurred in France.

4. Extend

Students reflect on the causes of the revolution by participating in a discussion.

5. Evaluate

Students respond to the question, "What was the main cause of the French Revolution?" by using the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) learning strategy. Students then create a Flipgrid to explain their thinking.

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