Friday 17th February - Life in the Trenches (Yr6)

• History
• Primary Education

When did the First World War take place?

1. 1994-1998
2. 1914-1918
3. 1814-1818
4. 1894-1898

What began World War One?

1. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
2. The Invasion of Poland
3. A bombing
4. Two countries fell out; they just couldn't get on

Which countries made up the Allied Army or the Allies?

Which countries made up the Central Powers (and fought the Allies?_

What sparks your interest in this illustration? 

This would be used a starter to create a discussion. 

The children would need to verbally respond to an adult or a partner. If this lesson is being completed remotely, it means the child has a chance to explore an historically accurate illustration of a trench and take note of features to learn about later. 

Trenches were the name given to a network of bunkers and ditches used my the Allied and opposing armies during World War One. They took up miles and miles of space in France and Belgium. This network of trenches aimed to spot German forces getting into France. It was commonly known as 'The Western Front'

Simple explanation of a trench to explain it's main purpose. 

This a map of the Western Front. 

Guidance: 

Discuss the length of the trenches and the notable gap in between (known as No-Man's land). 

Explain the purpose of the trenches was to block the advancing German Army from entering France and from there, into Western Europe and Britain. 

A

B

C

D

A- A current reconstruction of a trench system in colour for clarity. 

B- A aerial photo taken over the Western in 1917. 

C- Germans shovelling snow out of their trenches.

D- A current reconstruction of a trench in France. 

Points made that trenches were a network, not just one long stretch and were often compared to villages and communities as they were so densely populated. 

www.bbc.co.uk

www.historyonthenet.com

www.warmuseum.ca

Life in the Trenches was...

Bearable

Horrid

Exciting

Enjoyable

Nightmarish

What insects did soldier fry the lice they found in their uniforms and eat?

1. Flies
2. Lice
3. Worms
4. Ants

What is 'Trenchfoot'?

1. A squelchy sound of footprints
2. A rotten smell of feet
3. A disease caused by feet being constantly wet
4. How they measured lengths of trenches

What is the name given to the mental health condition many soldiers suffered from?

1. Bomb shock
2. Gas attack
3. Bully Beef
4. Shell shock

Trench Warfare

Children will need to populate with bubbles with one facts they have learnt about Trench Warfare. 

They will need to use the websites provides on the slides to research. 

This can be done individually or in teams (which would support children with reading challenges) 

Study the picture.
a) what do you think is happening?
b) what other challenges do you think were faced in the Trenches?

What do you think is happening in this picture? Write a sentence explaining your thoughts.

Trench Warfare

Write facts about Trench warfare in the bubbles

Children will need to populate with bubbles with one facts they have learnt about Trench Warfare. 

They will need to use the websites provides on the slides to research. 

This can be done individually or in teams (which would support children with reading challenges) 

Study the picture you see in the background. 

Study the picture in the background. 

a) What do you think is happening? 

b) what other challenges were faced by men living in the trenches? 

How did people live in the Trenches during World War 1?

Jak żyli ludzie w Okopach podczas I wojny światowej?
Proszę znaleźć kilka zdjęć.

Napisz 3 zdania na temat wojny okopowej podczas I wojny światowej. Śmiało używaj języka polskiego lub angielskiego.

While you're researching, compare Central and Allied trenches. What were the main similarities and differences?

Choose which power you think had the more effective trenches and summarise them here. 

More effective trenches