1. |
Decision-Making Game
Life in the Trenches! [hot activity]
An decision making game, complete with worksheet and extension activities. A good way into the topic. |
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| 2. |
Timeline Activity
Students should then move on to produce a timeline of the Western Front using this excellent animation from the BBC. |
| 3. |
Web Research Task
I then get students to produce a PowerPoint Presentation for the class based on a key theme of trench warfare using the BBC Flash Movies. This sample worksheet gives an idea about how to set the lesson up. |
| 4. |
Propaganda and Censorship
Propaganda and Censorship: How did the British government respond to the recruitment crisis? - a PowerPoint Presentation complete with questions. There is also a PowerPoint Presentation on The Defence of the Realm Act. |
| 5. |
Empathetic Account
Students should produce a four-part story from a solider's perspective covering the following points:
Paragraph 1: Establishes who you are and why you joined
Paragraph 2: Outlines how the trench system came to be established
Paragraph 3: The different types of trenches*
Paragraph 4: What life was like in the trenches*
*For these final two sections, students should use the World War One Summary Pages. |
| 6. |
In-Depth Investigation
Old Wulfrunians who died in WW1 (designed for students at my old school, but it might be of interest to other schools considering a similar project). |
| 7. |
War Poetry
War poetry - worksheet A photocopiable worksheet of World War One poems, complete with questions. There is also a PowerPoint Presentation to accompany the task. I like to introduce this lesson by reading "1914" by Philip Larkin, and "In Memoriam" by Ewart Alan Mackintosh (both available on the web through a Google search!). This was a very literary age – there was no TV, radio, computers; the war generation was the first to have mass literacy thanks to the liberal reforms of the 1870’s; reading and writing books and poems provided both an escape from and a way of dealing with the horrors being faced, and language had to develop to meet the new challenges. “No man’s land”, “Tactics”, “Over the Top”, “Lousy”, “Souvenir”, “Rank and File” and “Trenchcoat” are all words introduced into the language at this time. |
| 8. |
The Battle of the Somme
Students conduct a debate on the issues of whether Haig was a good General, whether the battle plan was crazy, and whether it achieved its objectives. They do this by:
(a) Completing this worksheet as the teacher goes through The Battle of the Somme PowerPoint;
(b) Completing this investigation workpack about the Somme Offensive.
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| 9. |
Interactive Factual Tests
To consolidate knowledge and understanding before the sourcework exercise which follows, get students to take the following tests and jot down the highest scores they get at the end of the session:
Manic Miner Game - Life in the Trenches
"Wordshoot" Quiz - Life in the Trenches
CannonBall Fun Quiz - Life in the Trenches
Alternatively, get all the students playing the Fling the Teacher Quiz, and give each student a ranking based on how quickly they finish it compared to the others. |
| 10. |
Sourcework Exercise
This is a good point at which to set students to work on this sourcework exercise (which comes complete with a markscheme). |
| 11. |
Why did Germany lose the War?
Students produce a 4-part newspaper report over several lessons based on this format:
1. Narrative of short term causes - using this interactive running dictation exercise.
2. Analysis of which short term events were most important - using this interactive jigsaw-table exercise.
3. Mid-term factors - using this worksheet.
4. Long-term factors - using this worksheet.
Students then use this work to complete an essay question based on either a thematic or a chronological structure, depending on ability. |
| 12. |
Play Your Dates Right Quiz
World War One, 1914-1918 - a good way to round the unit off! |
| 13 |
Social, Political, Economic and Cultural Consequences of World War One in Germany, Britain and the USSR
Students should open a copy of this table, and fill the gaps by playing one of the following quizzes:
Manic Miner Quiz - Consequences of WW1
Cannonball Quiz - Consequences of WW1
Wordshoot Quiz - Consequences of WW1 |
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External Links |
| 1. |
Search for a relative using the
Commonwelath War Graves Database
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| 2. |
Spartacus First World War
Encyclopaedia: Excellent resource from John Simkin |
| 3. |
Animated maps of the Western Front: One for each year of the war - a
great addition to any class lecture. |
| 4. |
World War One lesson plans: Based on a variety of hyperlinked sources - well
worth a look |
| 5. |
BBC World War One Pages:
Complete with sound files and animations |
| 6. |
Art and letters of Harold
Williamson |
| 7. |
BBC: World War One Site: Outstanding - animated maps,
360 degree panoramas, video and audio clips galore! |
| 8. |
First World War - An
outstanding site. |
