First World War Session Information

This session can be taught:

• as outreach in your school
• as an online session

The content of these sessions does vary but we try to keep them as similar as possible.

Outreach Day at School:

• Object Handling and Investigation – we show the pupils how archaeologists work with objects, while looking at and holding original and replica artefacts in our First World War collection. We ask them to use their observation and historical enquiry skills, as well as any prior knowledge to form a theory about what they are and were used for. They will share some of their theories before we reveal what they are. 
• Trench Slang Quiz – British soldiers in the First World War had their own slang words and phrases that can be tricky to understand today. Can your class work out what these words and phrases mean? 
• Historical Debate – using soldiers’ letters from our archives, the class will take part in an academic debate on whether or not the First World War was a miserable experience for British soldiers.
• Dadaist Poetry – not everyone supported the First World War. Some turned to poetry to express their anger, sadness and sense of betrayal, while others set out to show their opposition in a new and radical artistic direction, the Dadaist art movement. This session brings both together as the pupils create their own Dadaist anti-war poems. 

Need to know:

• An outreach session at school for KS3 can be taught in a variety of formats. We can work with one class for up to half a day or we can work with multiple classes over a day in a carousel format. 
• These sessions are free for KS3 students. 

Online Session:

Before your session:

Your class will be sent two cartoons taken from a British trench magazine, reflecting two different responses to the challenges faced by soldiers in the First World War. Pupils should consider what these challenges were, how soldiers reacted to them, and why they reacted in that way. 

During the session:

We begin by discussing the class’s responses to the cartoons taken from the trench magazine, before tackling our soldiers’ slang quiz. Can your class work out the meanings behind the unusual words used by First World War soldiers? Finally, using letters from our archives, the class will take part in an academic debate on whether or not the First World War was a miserable experience for British soldiers. 

Need to know:

• An online session for KS3 is one hour in length.
• Session times are generally fixed to fit in with your timetable as best we can.
• You will need to book a short test call with us to check that you can see and hear us on the whiteboard in your classroom. These are available at 3.30pm, 3.45pm and 4pm.
• We will ask you to book separate sessions for each of your classes so that we can keep them as interactive as possible.
• You will be sent an email with resources to print out for the pre-session work, the class session and then the post-session activity.
• These sessions are free for KS3 students.

National Curriculum Link:

History - Key Stage 3:

Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day: 

• The First World War and the Peace Settlement. 
• Understand how different types of historical sources are used rigorously to make historical claims and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.

Session costs