First World War - Life in the trenches/on the Western Front

Using http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit I have found a film, a wide range of photos and short First World War footage clips that would be useful in exploring what life was like on the Western Front.


http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/schoolstudents/ks4 : Short Film presented by Everett Sharp on the features of trench warfare – (last clip on the page) (whole class activity – tell students to watch the short film and make notes – maybe give them a list of questions to make notes on e.g. why were the trenches not built in a straight line? Did this cause any problems?)


Photos of life in the trenches:
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/education/pathways/path/jqrjbx
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/3629?CISOBOX=1&REC=4
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1290?CISOBOX=1&REC=5
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/3623?CISOBOX=1&REC=10
For more go to: http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/photo
(Whole activity to show what life was like; pair and share activity – gives each group/pair a different photo and ask them to write x number of comments on what they think life was like in the trenches – feedback to whole class)


A list of very short clips useful for highlighting what life was like in the trenches:
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1837?CISOBOX=1&REC=6 (dugout)
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1838?CISOBOX=1&REC=7 (explosion)
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1840?CISOBOX=1&REC=10 (preparing for battle)
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1256?CISOBOX=1&REC=1 (men advancing up the communication trench)
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1819?CISOBOX=1&REC=8 (machine gun firing)
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/1262?CISOBOX=1&REC=10 (POWs and wounded)
For more clips go to - http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/film
(possibly create a short video of a variety of clips to give an idea of what life was like in the trenches – could be used as a teaching aid in class)


The BBC provides some useful interactive sites that could be used to explore life in the trenches: (1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/soldier/ (an interactive site to explore life in the trenches as experienced by a doctor)
(1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/survivor/ (an interactive site about a soldier's experiences and feelings about war and coming home to Britain)
(Class activity – depending on computer access – if not accessible maybe homework activity - get students to answer questions or write x number of comments on the trench life of the soldier and the doctor)

(2) http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/hq/timeline.shtml
(Interactive timeline - blue boxes highlight events on the Western Front – get Students to either create their own timeline about events on the Western Front or again answer questions that can only be answered through exploring the interactive timeline)


The BBC Learning Zone also provides a range of film clips, some of which could be used to explore life on the western front:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/
(Click on the Secondary tab, then choose History in the second column and World Wars in the third)