The Great War: Technology and the Soldier Experience How Do We Know?

Agenda Housekeeping and Announcements Primary and Secondary Sources ”It Will Be a Terrible War” (video clip) New and Improved Technology: A War of Attrition The Soldier Experience: How Do We Know? Homework Assignment: YOU Be the Historian! Exit Card

Learning Goals Learn to differentiate between primary and secondary sources, as well as how inference may be used in reconstructing the past. Understand how new and powerful technologies not only created a new kind of war, but also how they affected (white) soldiers in ways that had not previously been experienced. Learn to use resources such as the internet to locate primary sources for research projects.

Primary and Secondary Sources primary source: a document, recording or artifact that was written or created during the time period being studied secondary source: a document or recording that reports on, interprets, or analyzes events from the past using primary sources basically…a primary source was created at the time; a secondary source was produced later

“It Will Be a Terrible War” Q. Primary and/or secondary source? Think. Pair. Then share.

New and Improved Technology: A War of Attrition technology:the creation, usage, knowledge, or collection of tools, machines,and techniques in order to perform and achieve a specific function war of attrition: this means that rather than fighting a series of battles with clear winners and losers, the two sides attempted to win the war over time by inflicting serious losses against the other in terms of both manpower and war materials

Technology in WWI tanks gas attacks guns and artillery trenches naval innovations airplanes

Class Mind Map Please get into your number groups (1-6). On each table is a photograph (a primary resource!) of one WWI technology and a large piece of bristol board. Assign a note-taker. As a group, and from your assigned homework (secondary resource!), write down the important points on the bristol board. Don’t forget important names! You have 10 minutes.

Class Mind Map (cont’d) Now…imagine what it would be like to be a soldier in relation to this technology. You have 5 minutes to brainstorm and jot down ideas. As we discuss each technology, continue taking notes when we are referring to your group.

Tanks

Gas Attack

Guns and Artillery

Trenches

Naval Innovations

Airplanes

The Soldier Experience: How Do We Know? *primary sources : photographs video footage letters autobiographies newspaper articles journal entries creative works (poetry, songs) official records and documents *inference:drawing a logical conclusion from a known fact (or set of facts)

Activity--Four Corners (and Two Walls) Consider the technologies discussed and how they impacted soldiers on the ground. Which technology would you rate as most devastating for the men--physically and/or psychologically? WHY? Now go to the section of the classroom which most closely represents your answer (tanks, gas, guns/artillery, trenches, naval warfare, airplanes) Take a few minutes to discuss in your groups how you think this technology affected men on the ground, in the air, or on the sea. Group by group…what made you choose this technology? Now that we have heard from everyone…has anyone changed their mind?

Think About It… Was this a fair question for me to ask? Was there one technology that clearly outweighed the others in its devastation?

Homework: YOU be the Historian! 1. Find one primary source that is directly related to technology and/or the soldier experience during WWI. This can be a photograph, a letter, a song, a poem, a video, or any other appropriate source. If you are unsure, run it by me. 2. Print the document along with information on where you found it (book title or website link). If it is a video, describe it in detail. 3. Write a paragraph describing what this artifact is (who, what, when, where) 4. Most importantly…write a second paragraph on how this primary source illustrates that the Great War was a new kind of war that had a profound effect on the soldier experience? Please hand in next Monday. Hint: You will want to put some time and thought into it; it may come in handy for your unit culminating activity!

Homework Help Some sources you might find useful (you are not limited to these): sources-e-aspx

WAIT! Exit Card 3-things I learned that were important 2-things I found interesting or touched me in some way 1-remaining question or something I was unclear about *please submit by midnight on the course website