Voices of the Past: Exploring Change and Continuity · 5th Class

Active learning ideas

The Treaty and Civil War

Active learning helps students grasp the complexity of the Treaty and Civil War by moving beyond dates and names into lived experiences. Debating Treaty terms, mapping divisions, and sorting sources makes abstract divisions personal and memorable, helping students see how political choices shaped daily lives.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - The Irish Free State
• NCCA: Primary - Conflict and Reconciliation

• 30–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Formal Debate
• 45 min · Small Groups

Debate Carousel: Treaty Arguments

Divide class into pro-Treaty and anti-Treaty groups. Each group prepares three key arguments from provided sources, then rotates to defend and counter at four stations. Conclude with a whole-class vote and reflection on persuasion.

Analyze the core disagreements surrounding the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Facilitation Tip

During the Debate Carousel, circulate to listen for students using treaty excerpts to support arguments rather than repeating opinions.

What to look for

Provide students with a T-chart. Ask them to list one reason why someone might have supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty on one side and one reason why someone might have opposed it on the other. Include a sentence explaining the oath of allegiance.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 35 min · Pairs

Family Division Mapping: Community Impact

Students draw family trees or community maps showing real or hypothetical splits during the Civil War, using newspaper clippings. Pairs add quotes from divided figures and discuss lasting effects. Share maps in a gallery walk.

Explain how the Civil War created divisions within Irish families and communities.

Facilitation Tip

When mapping family divisions, provide colored pencils and large paper so pairs can clearly distinguish pro- and anti-Treaty views.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a young person living in Ireland in 1922. Your parents disagree strongly about the Treaty. How might this conflict affect your family and your friendships?' Encourage students to share their thoughts on the emotional and social impact of the Civil War.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 30 min · Small Groups

Timeline Relay: Key Events

Teams line up to add one event, leader, or quote to a shared timeline on the board, passing a baton. Include Treaty signing, Four Courts attack, and war end. Review for accuracy as a class.

Assess the challenges of establishing a new state amidst internal conflict.

Facilitation Tip

For the Timeline Relay, assign each group one event but require them to justify why it matters to other groups’ events.

What to look for

Present students with short quotes from historical figures on both sides of the Treaty debate. Ask them to identify which side each quote represents and briefly explain why, referencing key terms like 'partition' or 'Free State'.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 40 min · individual then pairs

Source Sorting: Perspectives

Provide mixed document cards (speeches, cartoons). Individuals sort into pro/anti-Treaty piles, justify choices in pairs, then verify with class key. Extend to predict war outcomes.

Analyze the core disagreements surrounding the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Facilitation Tip

While sorting sources, ask students to note which perspective each document represents and why the language reveals bias.

What to look for

Provide students with a T-chart. Ask them to list one reason why someone might have supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty on one side and one reason why someone might have opposed it on the other. Include a sentence explaining the oath of allegiance.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by focusing on the human scale of the conflict rather than dry political theory. Start with personal stories to build empathy, then layer in documents to show how ideals clashed in practice. Avoid framing the Civil War as a simple right versus wrong; instead, help students see how honorable people could hold opposing views. Research shows that when students role-play historical figures, they retain core arguments longer because they attach emotions to facts.

Students will explain the core disagreements over the Treaty, identify key figures’ positions, and describe how these choices divided families and communities. Success looks like students using primary sources to justify perspectives and connecting historical events to human consequences.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Debate Carousel, watch for students treating the Civil War as a continuation of fighting Britain instead of a debate between Irish groups.

  Use the debate format to redirect students: ask them to identify whether each argument focuses on British actions or Irish choices, and have them revise statements to clarify internal divisions.

• During the Timeline Relay, watch for students assuming the Treaty solved all independence issues immediately.

  After relay groups share, ask them to highlight which events on their timeline directly led to the Civil War, connecting Treaty acceptance to its consequences.

• During Family Division Mapping, watch for students believing all Irish people rejected the Treaty.

  After mapping, have pairs share a family member’s perspective they included, then ask the class to identify which areas show mixed views rather than uniform opposition.

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Methods used in this brief

• Formal Debate