Syllabus for WWI Soldier
Experience of a WWI Soldier
By: Amanda Hefner, and Carrie Gillespie
Europe Unit: Students will explore Europe’s culture, history, economic system, and government.
Grade Level: 6th grade
Objective:
The students will be able to investigate life as a soldier in WWI through analyzing primary sources and communicating with veterans, descendants of a WWI soldier, and professional historians with a variety of communication tools, including the Internet. They will demonstrate problem-based learning, constructivism, and critical thinking skills through a variety of activities.
Materials:
Personal letters of Joseph McNamara, Capt. 111th Field Signal Battalion, 36th Division
Historical photos of Joseph McNamara (Archival – Loaned by A. Hefner)
History and Timeline of the 36th Division
Historical Items Trunk – Loaned by the Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, TX
Pamphlet (archival) given to soldiers after return from WWI
Oral Histories of Joseph McNamara, by living descending
Texas Military Forces Museum archives concerning WWI and 36th Division.
Miltary.com WWI pages
Technology Applications:
Email Curator & Archivist of TMFM with questions
Post and Reply to WWI or Veterans forums on Military.com
Research online for 36th Division history for timeline
Create web pages on topic.
Miltary.com WWI pages
Internet Research Sites:
Texas Military Forces Museum - http://www.kwanah.com/txmilmus/tnghist20.htm
The Story of the American Expeditionary Forces - http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/history.htm
Texas National Guard History - http://ranger95.crosswinds.net/divisions/divisions_35_thru_39.html
WWI Aircraft Fighters - http://www.ww1fighters.com/
WWI Glossary of Terminology - http://horace.ls.net/~newriver/ww1/ww1gloss.htm
Army Awards and Decorations - http://www.usarotc.com/awards.htm
WWI Web Sites List - http://www.worldwar1.com/links.htm
Internet Discussion Groups:
Trenches on the Web Forum - http://groups.msn.com/TrenchesontheWebWWIDiscussionForum
Texas Military History Forum - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas_Military_History/
The World At War I Forum - http://pub65.ezboard.com/ftheworldatwar70879frm2
ACTIVITIES
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CURRICULUM CONNECTION
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1. Timeline & Map-2 Days
Students will examine history of the 36th Division in WWI through the Internet, develop a timeline (using Inspiration Software) of the Division’s experiences, and route their movement throughout the war on a map.
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Social Studies:
6.4A;
Technology:
6.A,B,&C;
Flow Chart10.D
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2. Train Porter Conflict-1 Day
Students will examine a letter to Capt. Joseph McNamara from the International and Great Northern Railway explaining the events of his troops assaulting two black train porters. Considering the time period after the Civil War and before Civil Rights movement, students will discuss in a group the actions they would have taken if they were in the situation. Also, discuss how society would have perceived the incident in 1918 and compare it to social perceptions in 1864 and 2002.
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Social Studies:
6.21 A,D&E; 6.15D; 619.A; 6.23A,B
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3. Research and Communication-3-4 Days
Students will connect the timeline they developed to personal letters which contain the experiences of Joseph McNamara, Capt. 111th Field Signal Battalion, 36th Division. In groups, students will be responsible for their own learning through the research of Joseph McNamara’s letters and the communication with his family descendents and 36th Division historians. To accompany their research, they will post informed questions to the Military.com WWI forum and check for updates in order to collect all necessary information to create a product.
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Social Studies:
6.13A,B;614A&B
6.21A,B,C,D&E
Technology:
3.A&C; 8.D;10A&D; 6.A,B,&C;
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4. Historical Artifact Enrichment- 1 Day
Students will participate in an enrichment activity, exploring the contents and artifacts of a WWI footlocker. They will associate these items with the events and people they have learned about. This includes a thoughtful discussion, which compares equipment and uniforms from the early 1900’s to the new technology & equipment and uniforms soldiers use today.
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Social Studies:
6.1B; 6.20A&C;
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5. Exploring Past and Present- 2 Days
Using the events, artifacts, letters, equipment, and military assignments of Capt. Joseph McNamara, students will correlate the daily life of a soldier serving our country today. Through Internet research, they may collect images, stories and personal accounts of soldiers from each time period.
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Social Studies:
Technology:
6.A,B,C; 8.D
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6. Homecoming & Flanders Fields – 2 days
From various media resources, students will learn about the epic poem, “Flanders Fields,” and consider the homecoming letters of McNamara, then develop their own vision of a “homecoming” from service to their homeland.
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Evaluation:
Multimedia Presentation-5 Days (1 Day to present)
Students will be evaluated on the completion of a multimedia presentation with proper documentation including the following;
§ Timeline and map specific to the 36th Division’s travels and events during WWI.
§ Applying research from letters and online communication with historians or through the military.com forum to their multimedia presentation about the life as a soldier in WWI.
§ Demonstration of problem solving skills by analyzing the Train Porter conflict, considering the time period, social norm, and military status of Capt. McNamara, developing their own resolution with supportive reasoning.
§ Comparison and contrast of life and experiences as a WWI soldier with that of a present day soldier. This includes family, relationships, technological advancements, and hardships of fighting a war.
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