On top of what has ready been mentioned in the previous post relating to teaching the Western Front I could:
Give students a worksheet with six basic maps of North-West Europe on. Ask then them to draw the Western Front as it developed over major points of the War (August 1914 - Initial German Advance, September 1914 – First Trenches built; September to October – Race to the sea; 1917 – The Hindenburg Line; March 1918 – Peace between Russia and Germany; October 1918 – Last days of the War) – Use BBC animation to assist - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/western_front/index_embed.shtml
Get students to map out a rough birds eye view of the trench layout – that shows that there was more than one trench on each side, all adjoined by communication trenches, that they were zigzagged, and shows roughly where sandbags or barbed wire may have been.
Possibly use play Journey’s end for role play (This play was recommended to be me, I have not read it yet, but will do shortly)
Maybe use the film 'All Quiet on the Western Front' as a classroom resource (again have not watched this yet but will do shortly)
All Quiet on the Western Front is a very good film for giving a good view of what it was like on the Western Front. You may want to skip the bits that cover the training they went through, but watch it first and then decide.
ReplyDeleteAlso very well worth going to the Imperial War Museum in London and looking round the trenches exhibition - gives a great sense of the horror.
Thanks for the advice, will definitely give 'All Quiet on the Western Front" a watch when I can get hold of it and the Imperial War Museum sounds like a good idea.
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