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. 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.

9. Copy the table below into your jotter. (There are 6 posters in total.)
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

10. Carousel Task: In your group...
You will be given two posters at a time. Split into pairs and each pair take one poster. You will be given two minutes per poster to complete the task below.
For each poster, fill in a row of the table you have just drawn.
Swap posters with the other pair in your group and repeat the task.
You should now compare answers with the other pair in your group. Add in any points that you didn’t think of.

11. 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!

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

13. 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.