Secondary Language Arts An Introduction to the Literature of World War I

Curriculum page : Language Arts Curriculum : Language Arts Lesson Plans

Title of Lesson: An Introduction to the Literature of World War I

Appropriate for Grade: 12

Supporting Mastery of Outcomes: 1201, 1202, 1204, and 1205

Lesson Objectives: Students will . . .

1. use the Internet to find and to study a poem related to World War I,
2. use study guide questions to analyze the poem, "Break of Day in the Trenches" (the web site poem); define specific vocabulary and terminology associated with the poem and with World War I, including "The Great War," "no man's land," trench warfare , and poppies (as related to World War I), and
3. gain an understanding of the essential humanity of soldiers on both sides of the conflict, and gain background information for the possible study of the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front.

Time Needed to Complete the Lesson: 2 Periods or 80 Minutes

Materials Needed to Complete the Lesson:
1) Poem, "Break of Day in the Trenches"
2) a dictionary
3) the study guide for this lesson
4) the vocabulary list for this lesson

Web Site(s) Required to Complete the Lesson: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~xzcainfo/rose/poem.html

Lesson Procedures:

1. Assign students to complete the following vocabulary study for words included in the poem, "Break of Day in the Trenches," before students access the Internet. Students must include the word, the part of speech, the definition of a synonym, and an original sentence for each word.

   aghast	cosmopolitan	droll
   druid	parapet	sardonic

   Optional Vocabulary Exercise: Use the words from your vocabulary list to complete the following sentences.

   1. After traveling through Europe and Asia, he affected a rather _____ air.
   2. His _____ wit was insulting to some. (Two words are possible choices.)
   3. Some people refer to British humor as dry and _____ . (Two words are possible choices.)
   4. It was up to the soldiers to storm the _____ .
   5. Even hardened officers were _____ at the gruesome nature of the crime.
   6. Seamus O'Connor traced his ancestry back to a well-known Irish priest of the _____ religious order.
2. Access http://users.ox.ac.uk/~xzcainfo/rose/poem.html.
3. As a class, read the introductory material and the poem, "Break of Day in the Trenches," by Isaac Rosenberg.
4. Pass out study guides. Students may work individually, with a partner, or in a small group to answer the questions.
5. Allow students sufficient time to answer the study guide questions. Discuss the answers to the questions and use the study guides as a spur to a class discussion on World War I.
6. If time, visit other links on the web site.
7. Collect vocabulary lists and study guides for assignment credit.

1. State another term for World War I.
2. State the dates of the First World War.
3. Explain the symbolism of the rat in "Break of Day in the Trenches."
4. Why would Rosenberg choose a rat instead of a mouse as a symbolism reference in this poem?
5. Why do veterans hand out silk poppies for charitable donations on Armistice Day?
6. How does the rat have more freedom than the soldiers?
7. What is "no-man's land"?
8. What sort of life would the soldiers have in the trenches?
9. What do the British and German soldiers have in common -- in terms of human qualities?
10. Why did Rosenberg choose to have the soldiers "sprawled in the bowels of the earth" as opposed to, for example, "held in the arms of the earth," and what is the "shrieking iron and flame" of line 20?

Lesson Assessment: Students will be successful in this lesson if they are able to . . .

1. use the Internet to find the poem to be studied,
2. discuss ideas and concepts included in the poem through using the study guide questions,
3. complete and turn in answers for the study guide questions, and
4. complete the vocabulary study correctly.