Causes of the Civil War Break In Activity

In a Breakout room, people are locked in a room, and need to solve a set of riddles/clues in order to discover the key to leave the room. Since we can't lock students into classrooms in America, we Break IN instead. Solve a set of historical riddles in order to break in to a locked box in the room. These riddles are vocabulary intensive, and will expose students to the basic information surrounding 15 of the most significant events leading up to the Civil War. The riddles encourage students to think in an abstract manner about the things they have learned in class, which also lead to deeper understanding and better connections. This assignment is differentiated learning at its finest and plays on student's natural competitive natures. The follow-up questions challenge them with Document Based Question style questions that further enhance their understanding of the topics discussed.

This activity includes:

*Detailed directions on how to use a Break-In.

*The link to a public google form that students can use to play the game

*A graphic organizer helpful in organizing the key ideas

*An answer key, and suggestions for modifications for different students.

Please note: This activity runs through a google form, so it is important that you make sure your students will have internet access.

Created by Nathan Gilson of Understanding Who We Were - Visit His Store