1. Recruitment during WWI
Lesson Starter:
What message do you think the poster on the right is trying to make?
How does the poster try and make its point?

2. Today we will… Explain why young men joined the army.
Examine the methods used by the government to recruit young men.

3. Success Criteria: I will identify features of WWI propaganda posters.
I will explain how the government played on people’s emotions to encourage them to join the army.

4. When WWI was announced many people in Britain were excited.
Lots of young men joined up as a wave of PATRIOTISM swept over the nation.

5. However, Not all young men were keen to sign up straight away
The government used different methods to encourage them to sign up.

6. Propaganda
Propaganda posters and films were used widely to encourage men to sign up.
Copy the following definition:
Propaganda = A message to try to persuade people to think in a certain way.

7. Peer Pressure
Young men were also STIGMATISED (labelled) if they did not sign up.
They were considered to be cowards.
Copy the following definition:
Stigmatised = Negatively labelled.

8. Recruitment during WWI
Lesson Starter:
Explain in your own words how propaganda helped to get men to join the army.
Put as much detail as you can.

9. Women
Women were told to encourage their husbands/sons/relations to join the army.
White feathers were a symbol for cowardice
Women were encouraged to give white feathers to any young men they saw in the street who had not joined the army.

10. Copy the table below into your jotter. (There are 6 posters in total
Copy the table below into your jotter. (There are 6 posters in total. Leave enough room to fill it in)
Poster Number
How would it help to get young men to sign up?
Which emotions is it appealing to? (e.g. guilt, fear, etc.) 1

17. Carousel Task: In your group...
You will be given one poster at a time. In your groups, discuss the poster. You will be given two minutes per poster to complete the task below.
For each poster, discuss the poster and fill in a row of the table you have just drawn.

18. Now swap your posters with another group. Repeat the task.
Once you have looked at all of the posters, you should be ready to give your answers to the class.
Anyone in the group could be chosen to feedback to the class, so be prepared!

19. Today we will… Explain why young men joined the army.
Examine the methods used by the government to recruit young men.

20. Success Criteria: I will identify features of WWI propaganda posters.
I will explain how the government played on people’s emotions to encourage them to join the army.