ALEX Learning Activity

  

Life in the Trenches: World War I Interactive Adventure

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Julie Rhodes
System:Hartselle City
School:Hartselle City
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 1914
Title:
Life in the Trenches: World War I Interactive Adventure
Digital Tool/Resource:
Over the Top Canadian War Museum Interactive Site
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

Students will explore what life was like in the trenches on the Western Front for World War I soldiers in this interactive online activity. They will have to make choices about how they will handle different situations they are presented with. They have to make a series of decisions as they learn about the hardships these soldiers faced. Certain choices will lead to survival, others will not. They will see types of food, entertainment, and conditions of this horrific war as they navigate through the interactive site.

This activity was created as a result of the DLCS COS Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Social Studies
SS2010 (2010)
Grade: 6
United States Studies: The Industrial Revolution to the Present
3 ) Identify causes and consequences of World War I and reasons for the United States' entry into the war.

Examples: sinking of the Lusitania, Zimmerman Note, alliances, militarism, imperialism, nationalism

•  Describing military and civilian roles in the United States during World War I
•  Explaining roles of important persons associated with World War I, including Woodrow Wilson and Archduke Franz Ferdinand
•  Analyzing technological advances of the World War I era for their impact on modern warfare
Examples: machine gun, tank, submarine, airplane, poisonous gas, gas mask

•  Locating on a map major countries involved in World War I and boundary changes after the war
•  Explaining the intensification of isolationism in the United States after World War I
Example: reaction of the Congress of the United States to the Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations, and Red Scare

•  Recognizing the strategic placement of military bases in Alabama (Alabama)
Unpacked Content
Strand: Economics, Geography, History, Civics and Government
Course Title: United States Studies: The Industrial Revolution to the Present
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Identify how the sinking of the Lusitania, the Zimmerman Note, alliances, imperialism, militarism and nationalism led to U.S. entry into WWI.
  • Describe the various roles of military and civilians in WWI.
  • Explain Woodrow Wilson and Archduke Franz Ferdinand and their association to WWI.
  • Analyze machine guns, tanks, submarines, airplanes, poison gas, and gas masks and their contributions to advancing modern warfare during WWI.
  • Use map skills to locate key countries involved in WWI and boundary changes post WWI.
  • Explain reactions to the Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations and the Red Scare pertaining to the intensification of isolationism in the United States after WWI.
  • Recognize military bases of Alabama and their strategic placement.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • WWI
  • Lusitania
  • Zimmerman Note
  • alliances
  • militarism
  • imperialism
  • nationalism
  • modern warfare
  • isolationism
  • Treaty of Versailles
  • League of Nations
  • Red Scare
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • The causes and consequences of U.S. involvement in WWI (sinking of the Lusitania, the Zimmerman Note, Alliance System, Militarism, Imperialism, and Nationalism).
  • The roles of military and civilians played in WWI.
    • Important people involved in WWI (Woodrow Wilson, Archduke Franz Ferdinand).
  • The impact of technological advances of WWI on modern warfare (machine guns, tanks, submarines, airplanes, poison gas, and gas masks).
  • How to locate countries involved in WWI on a map and boundary changes that occurred after WWI.
  • The factors contributing to isolationism in the United States after WWI (Treaty of Versailles debate, Red Scare, League of Nations).
  • Strategic locations of military bases in Alabama.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Locate places on a map.
  • Read and interpret primary source documents.
  • Cite evidence to support historical events.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • There were many reasons for United States entry and involvement in World War I and there were causes and consequences of this involvement.
Alabama Archives Resources:
Click below to access all Alabama Archives resources aligned to this standard.
Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
SS.AAS.6.3- Identify strategic placement of military bases in Alabama, such as Redstone Arsenal, Fort Rucker, Fort McClellan, and Craig Air Force Base.
Digital Literacy and Computer Science
DLIT (2018)
Grade: 6
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students will:
  • locate and curate information from digital sources to answer given research questions.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • curate
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • how to find valid sources to answer a given research topic.
  • how to cite sources.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • locate valid digital resources to answer given research questions.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • a great deal of information is available, so it is important to validate the information and to cite the source of the information.
Learning Objectives:

The student will:

Analyze technological advances in warfare during WWI while navigating through an interactive real-world game.

Describe military roles and duties of WWI soldiers through an online interactive role-playing game. 

 
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
After/Explain/Elaborate
Activity:

This learning activity is best if used after studying the major historical events of WWI.

Steps:

  1. The teacher will provide all students with access to internet and sound enabled devices- Chromebooks, PCs, laptops, tablets.

  2. The teacher will instruct the students that they will be playing an interactive real-world simulation game about "life in the trenches" of WWI. 

  3. The teacher will explain that students will be given a variety of choices as they navigate through many different situations that these soldiers would have been faced with.

  4. The teacher will remind the students that they must read carefully the different scenarios and make decisions based on the information they have learned from studying WWI. It is important that they pay attention to the details in the information presented and do not rush through the choices.

  5. The teacher will explain that rushed or uninformed choices can result in devastating outcomes.

  6. The teacher will share the link to the site Over the Top with all students. 

  7. The teacher will make sure all students have accessed the site and project the opening page onto a screen for everyone to see.

  8. The teacher will go through the opening pages as everyone clicks on Begin Your Adventure and joins.

  9. Explain that they can put in a false name if they do not feel comfortable sharing their real information. They can also leave the city blank.

  10. Allow students the rest of the period to listen to and interact with this site.

  11. When a student has completed the entire site, they will fill out their exit slip to give to the teacher.

 
Assessment Strategies:

Upon completion of the interactive adventure, students will need to write an exit slip. Students need to submit the following on their slips:

The exit slip will tell whether their character survived and describe one type of weapon or attack he encountered that was created with a technological advancement made during the war.

The exit slip will give an example of one of the duties or jobs or roles that their "soldier" was asked to perform during their interactive adventure and then describe what that role was like.
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher will need to have the link shared with the students in either a classroom management system such as Google Classroom or having the students type in the link in the address bar. The teacher will need to make sure all students have access to an internet enabled device. It would also be helpful for students to have headphones if they are playing alone. 
Variation Tips (optional):

If there are not enough devices, students could pair up.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

Before the activity, stress to students the importance of reading and listening to each part of the activity and not just skipping ahead to the parts where they have to make a choice. If a student finishes in a few minutes, he or she did not attempt to read and listen.
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: