Uncle Sam I Want You

World War One

From the eyes of my great grandfather

                                                 

Introduction

On a stormy winter Saturday your mom asks for help cleaning the attic. After throwing out garbage and rearranging the mess you come across a big envelope filled with yellowing letters. All of the letters are written by your great - grandfather. All of the letters are dated between 1917 -1918 and they all come from France. Intrigued, you sit down to discover a bit of your family history.
Great - granddad, it turns out, was quite a character. His letters are filled with adventure: joining the army at fourteen, traveling overseas, and being involved in some of the scariest moments of WWI. He writes of the Somme, Ypres, mustard gas, flame throwers, and rat filled trenches. His fear is obvious when the letters speak of "going over the top."

  

  

 

Task
      This web quest invites you to relive your great grandfather's experience during World War One.  As you discover his story you will compile a scrapbook for other members of your family so they too can learn about their past.  The scrapbook will include photos and explanations of your findings.  The finished product can be in book form or a PowerPoint presentation.

 

   

 

Process
 1)    You will need to gather basic information about WWI.  The names, places, battles and weapons mentioned don't come with full explanations. Before you can understand what your great granddad was involved in you should find out why he wound up there. As an introduction to your scrapbook use the sites listed below to answer the following questions:
  • What was the role of militarism as a cause of WWI?
  • What was the role of alliances as a cause of WWI?
  • What was the role of imperialism as a cause of WWI?
  • What was the role of nationalism as a cause of WWI?
  • What were the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente?
  • What was the Zimmerman Telegraph?

The answers to the above questions can all be found in the preceding websites.  Your answers will serve as an introduction to your scrapbook.

2)  One of the letters talked about living in trenches yet it didn't give you a clear picture of trenches and trench warfare.

  • What was the Western Front?

  • What was the purpose of a trench?

  • "No man's land" and "going over the top" are phrases he keeps writing about.  They sound frightening.  Were they?  Why? 
     Use these sites to explore your great grandfather's experience in the trenches. Include 3 - 4 pictures with your explanations.

 

3)  The battles sound brutal.  You're amazed anyone survived.  These weapons were killing machines.  Gas, machine guns, tanks, flamethrowers and hand grenades were just some of the products of this industrialized war. Select 5 weapons, describe their use in warfare and supply pictures of the weapon.

www.greatwar.org/weaponry/index.htm

www.worldwar1.com/armory.htm

 

4)  The war finally ended in 1918. His letters indicate he is a tired man who yearns to see America again.  Like all of the other soldiers he believes this is going to be the "war to end all wars."  A peace treaty, he believes, will bring an end to this madness.

  • What was the Treaty of Versailles?

  • What did it hope to achieve? (Describe three main goals)

  • Why was the League of Nations created?

http://momo.essortment.com/versaillestrea_reif.htm

www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/collections/league/background.html

www.bbc.co.uk/education/modern/versaill/versahtm.htm

Evaluation
Score Directions Followed Pictures Creativity Research Overall Presentation
5 Answered all questions with clear explanations Supplied all pictures with clear explanations Created a scrapbook or Power Point presentation, used graphics, provided a story to the presentation Shows good examples with detailed facts. Well organized, neat, structured, no spelling errors
4 Answered most questions with clear explanations Supplied most pictures with limited explanations Created a Power Point complete presentation or scrapbook; storyline not complete  Shows good examples with some detailed facts Well organized, neat, structured, some spelling errors
3 Answered most questions but explanations are not clear Supplied most pictures with poor explanations Created a Power Point or scrapbook presentation; shows effort, missing a few pages, lacking a storyline Shows some examples with some details Little organization, adequate presentation, little structure, several spelling errors  
2 Answered less than half the questions with poor explanations Supplied less than half the pictures with limited explanations Incomplete presentation or scrapbook, some graphics, story shows minimal effort Shows few examples with little detail Little organization, poorly presented, little structure, many spelling errors
1 Answered less than 5 questions with poor explanations No pictures Incomplete scrapbook or presentation, no graphics, little or no storyline  Shows few examples with little or no detail Little or no organization, poorly presented, no structure, many spelling errors
0 Handed in nothing

No effort

 Handed in nothing

No effort

 Handed in nothing

No effort

 Handed in nothing

No effort

 Handed in nothing

No effort
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