LEARNING ACTIVITIES
- In groups of Students create a seating plan for a ceremonial dinner held in Paris in late 1914. Representatives from several major European nations are present, as well as other international guests. Some of the attendees include; Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Serbia, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Greece, India and Spain. Students will be provided with a "briefing packet" This task is an engaging, problem-solving task which can be done individually or in groups.
- Mini research task - The classroom is divided into four stations: one for Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism. Students are then divided into groups of four to research and create a presentation on the long-term causes of WWI. Once allocated into groups, team leaders (chosen by the teacher) will allocate a station to each member of the group. Students will then join one of the four stations, where information packets relevant to the topic of each station will be made available, along with useful links to websites for online research. Students then return to their group as specialists of their particular station topic, and complete their section of the presentation. This task is also useful for the teacher to assess the level of collaborative skills, as well as evaluating how effective group-based tasks can be for the duration of the unit.
- In groups of three, students will investigate four different sources to create a mind-map of different reasons for which men and women enlisted to serve in WWI. Once complete, students will share these reasons with the class in an open forum, giving students who had similar sources a chance to either agree or disagree. This task is useful for the teacher to assess the inferential/source analysis skills of students without the assistance of a scaffold, as well as their ability to provide evidence for their observations.
Exam-Style Revision Questions
- Identify the major short-term causes that led to the outbreak of war in 1914. (2 marks)
- List three reasons why Australians enlisted to serve. (3 marks)
- Outline what is meant by the term 'imperialism', and name two examples of 'imperialist' nations. (4 marks)
- Describe how the alliance system influenced the onset of WWI. (6 marks)
Writing Task
Using Source ? and ?, explain the reasons for Australia's involvement in World War I (10 marks)
BOOKWORK CHECKLIST:
- 'What were the causes of the First World War?' note-taking task
- Copy of 'The road to war' timeline table
- 'M.A.I.N' group presentation
- 'Dinner Party Seating Plan' activity with justifications
- 'Reasons for enlistment' note-taking task
- Exam-style revision questions
- Writing Task