Activity overview

Primary HTC concept(s)
explored in this activity

Cause & Consequence guidepost 3 
Events result from the interplay of two types of factors: (1) historical actors, who are people (individuals or groups) who take actions that cause historical events, and (2) the social, political, economic, and cultural conditions within which the actors operate.

Cause & Consequence guidepost 4
​Historical actors cannot always predict the effect of conditions, opposing actions, and unforeseen reactions. These have the effect of generating unintended consequences. 

Secondary HTC concept(s)
explored in this activity

​Evidence guidepost 3
​Sourcing often begins before a source is read, with questions about who created it and when it was created. It involves inferring from the source the author’s or creator’s purposes, values, and worldview, either conscious or unconscious.

Evidence guidepost 4
​ A source should be analyzed in relation to the context of its historical setting: the conditions and worldviews prevalent at the time in question.

Students will use Canadian and British newspaper clippings and other sources to create a storyboard of events that describes the outcomes of the Battle of Jutland.
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Teachers looking to expand or deepen this activity can have students research Engineer Lieutenant Stanley Nelson De Quetteville, who died in the Battle of Jutland on HMS Indefatigable.

Students should be able to demonstrate understanding that the despite the intentions of both Germany and Britain, the outcomes of the battle were not predicted at the time.  Please see The Big Six Historical Thinking Concepts (2012) by Peter Seixas and Tom Morton, as well as the Historical Thinking Project website for further ideas for student assessment or to adapt these activities.

Questions posed to students in this activity

​Research question: What were the outcomes of the battle of Jutland?

​Inquiry question(s): Why was there such a strong reaction from the press and from Parliament?

Considerations for teachers to introduce in student inquiry

​Additional guiding question for students: Does public reaction affect military decision-making? Should it?