Aims:
- To get
students to think about popular perceptions of the Great War, how these
have changed over time
- To examine
original sources
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To give students a feel for the complexity of the Great War and
the scale of its impact on those who fought in it and those of us affected by
its legacy today.
·
To encourage students to understand how and why the Great War was
the subject of so many memorials and to consider how appropriate those
memorials are.
The Great War I is a topic
that still excites huge interest among young students and the general public.
Task 1: Why
did Britain go to war in 1914? Work in groups of three or four.
Examine the statements below. For each statement you
should put something in either column 2 or 3. If you feel the evidence is not
clear, or the statement is a bit misleading, you could put something in both
columns.
Statement
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There is clear evidence to support this
statement. For example …
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I have some reservations about this
statement. My reasons are …
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Britain did not know anything about Germany’s plans
to invade France through Belgium.
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The British government had detailed war plans as
early as 1911.
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Britain was not worried at all by Germany’s naval
expansion.
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France was confident that it would get the support
of Britain in 1914.
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Britain’s top priority in the summer of 1914 was to
protect Belgium.
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Germany made no effort to explain its actions in
Belgium.
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Public opinion in Britain helped to push Britain
into war in 1914.
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There was huge public support for the government’s
decision to go to war in 1914.
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There was major opposition to war in 1914.
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Listening
Task 2: Listen to the song. What is the aim of the song (poem)?
Two
versions of the song are included here (for which abridged lyrics are
reproduced below), both recorded in 1914. Edna Thornton and Helen Clark's
renditions are available.
Your King and Country Want You
We've watched you playing cricket and every kind of game,
At football, golf and polo you men have made your name.
But now your country calls you to play your part in war.
And no matter what befalls you
We shall love you all the more.
So come and join the forces
As your fathers did before.
Oh, we don't want to lose you but we think you ought to go.
For your King and your country both need you so.
We shall want you and miss you
But with all our might and main
We shall cheer you, thank you, bless you
When you come home again.
Culture note:
A
sentimental favourite at the start of war in 1914, Your King and Country Want You was penned by Paul Rubens.
Rubens
had established himself in the pre-war years as the author of numerous popular
musical shows.
A
prolific author, lyricist and composer, Rubens' career was cut short by his
early death from consumption at the age of 41 in 1917.
Your
King and Country Want You was
notably used as a means of persuading young men to enlist for military service
in 1914.
Task 3:
Plan a speech
It is Christmas 1914. You are British Prime Minister Herbert
Asquith. Like most British people, you thought the war would be over by
Christmas. It is now obvious to everyone that it will not be over for some
time.
You are going to give a speech in Parliament that will be
reported in all the newspapers. Your aim is to remind people why Britain
went to war in August 1914 and to convince them that the cause is worth
the suffering.
Use the recording sheet to help you plan your speech.
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Points and evidence about Belgium
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Points and evidence about public
support for the war
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Task 4: The
military commanders… (Lavr Georgeevich Kornilov, Alexei Alekseevich Brusilov, Douglas Haig , Sir John
Denton Pinkstone French)
Учащимися были
подготовлены презентации по следующему плану:
Plan your
presentation
There are a variety of different ways to
make your presentation. Your teacher may have some suggestions for you. You
will need to:
1. Look back over
your research.
2. Decide on the
format. Options include:
- a speech to
your class, by yourself or as a group presentation
- a
presentation using software like PowerPoint with text and images
- a mixed
presentation using text, images and a recorded commentary (using
PowerPoint or multimedia authoring software like QuickTime or Flash)
- a presenter
doing a speech to the camera in the style of a documentary or a news
programme (using a video camera)
- a
presentation taking on a character from the time, like a soldier or
commander (to the class or to a video camera, by yourself or in a group)
- your
own ideas
Task 5: Work in groups of three or four. Fill
in the table
When the Great War officially ended in 1919 (after the Treaty of
Versailles was signed), people in Britain agreed that it was important to
remember those who had died in this terrible war.
It also continues to provoke
debate among academic historians. Add to this is an enduring fascination with
the Great War on the part of the media, often rooted in popular perceptions
shaped by film, poetry and other media, and we have a winning subject for
historical study.
The Great
War is one of the most important events in Britain's history. The heavy
casualties left a huge psychological impact on the British people. They were
determined to remember the men and women who served in the Great War.
This
began with a Peace Parade in July 1919 and then a ceremony every year on
Armistice Day. This was 11 November, the day the fighting ended. From 1919
onwards, many monuments, ceremonies and other memorials in different parts of
the world have remembered the dead.
Acts of
remembrance continue today. Armistice Day is now called Remembrance Day. At 11
am, people all over the country stand in silence to remember the dead of the
Great War and all other wars.
Choose 3 different
examples of Great War memorials.
¨
1:
Remembering the Great War: Then
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2:
Remembering the Great War: Now
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The
third will be a memorial that you have found. It could be a monument, an event,
a website, a TV programme, a re-enactment group or some other memorial.
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Use
the recording sheet to put down your thoughts. There is a blank table
for you to fill in and a table with some suggestions for you.
Memorial
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For example:
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The
cenotaph in Whitehall
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A
film called…
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A
website called…
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Remembering
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Explain who or what is being remembered. For
example:
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The
dead of a particular area
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A
regiment’s role (or a ship’s role) at a particular battle or event
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A
particular national group e.g. ANZACs, Indians, Chinese
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A
specific person e.g. General Haig
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Aim / purpose
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Explain what the memorial is trying to achieve. For
example:
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To
make sure people do not forget and/or repeat past mistakes
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To
express thanks for the sacrifices made
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To
provide a place where friends and relatives can gather
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To
make a political point
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To
inform, educate or even entertain
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Method
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Explain how the memorial tries to achieve its
purpose. This might be as a result of:
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Where
it is
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Events
or ceremonies
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Getting
people to see the soldiers as real people
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Providing
useful information
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Approval rating 1-10 (10 is excellent)
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Express your view on the memorial. You could base
your judgements on issues such as:
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Is
the memorial respectful?
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Is
the information accurate?
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Would
the soldiers from the war have liked it?
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Do
people today respect and appreciate it?
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How
does it affect you?
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Fill
in the table
Memorial
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Remembering
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Aim / purpose
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Method
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Approval rating 1-10 (10 is excellent)
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6. Подведение
итогов
Литература:
1. www.bbc.co.uk
2. http://www.britannica.com
3. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
4. http://www.firstworldwar.com/photos/commanders.htm
5.
http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/yourkingandcountrywantyou.htm
6. http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/sirjohnfrench.htm
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