LET’S TRY ONE
A town opens a bridge in 1900 and its trade rises in 1902. What does the order alone establish?
The bridge opened before the recorded rise.
The dates establish sequence, not a unique cause.
Learning steps & teaching tips
Distinguish chronological order, a proposed mechanism and evidence needed for a causal claim.
- Place the stated events in order.
- Identify the proposed cause and the change it is meant to explain.
- Look for a mechanism, comparison and alternative explanations.
Try it together
Invent a town change with two possible causes. Make a timeline and list one additional record that would help distinguish the explanations.
An earlier event may be relevant, but happening first does not by itself prove it caused what followed.