War Memorials: Lesson 2

Was WWI the GREAT war for the people of Cottenham?

Students should learn to:

Interrogate a data file and extract information in order to ask and answer questions about the experiences of local people during WWI
Use the GREAT criteria in order to organise information.
Test hypotheses using a database and reach conclusions.
Question the utility of the data file for the research.

Starter
Show image of Cottenham memorial to recap on the questions pupils want to ask now. Compare to (a) Other village memorials and (b) Thiepval (recently visited).

Open up data file on the Cottenham Roll of Honour (Resource 2a). Begin with quick quiz to recap filter techniques learnt previously. This will lead to Bert Lack, Cottenham's most decorated war dead.

Main activity
Students then open up file of hypotheses (Resource 4) and begin to answer these using the various aspects of the database (Resource 2).

Examine the GREAT criteria (Resource 3) and begin discussion of how these 'facts' will help examine significance. E.g. What evidence is there it was Terrifying?

The criteria are: Groundbreaking, Remembered, Effects that are far reaching, Affecting the future and Terrifying.

Students select facts and place them into table of WWI historical hypotheses, thus organising their evidence and helping them to create historical arguments and reach conclusions.

Begin to question how useful the data file is in answering these questions: What of those who were not soldiers or who did not die? What might they tell us?

Plenary
In pairs pupils decide if WWI was the 'Great' war. Each pair creates a conclusion using the criteria to be read out.

Homework See War Memorials, Resource 5 homework.

Click here to go to Lesson 3