Activities
Programme 1 First World War
Activity 1 Measures and countermeasures
worksheet
Some of the new weapons, techniques and ideas in Weapons of War Programme 1 are listed below in alphabetical order. Watch the programme, and use other resources if you need to.
Your job is to look into:
- why these new techniques and weapons were developed
- how they were connected to other developments
- what effects they had
- how important they were in the war
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Airships (Zeppelins) |
Mills bombs / grenades |
|
Anti gas measures |
Motorised transport |
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Artillery |
Periscopes |
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Barbed wire |
Rail transport |
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Bolt action rifle |
Spotter planes and balloons |
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Cavalry charges |
Steam ships |
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Clubs and knives |
Submarine warfare |
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Electronic eavesdropping |
Tanks / Dreadnoughts |
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Fighter planes |
Telephone communications |
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Gas |
Trench mortar |
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Horse transport |
Trenches |
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Machine-gun |
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Organise your ideas under the following headings:
- Brief description
- Purpose
- Impact on warfare
- Connected to developments(s)...
You could try to find graphics/pictures and produce these ideas on cut-out cards.
Activity 2 Changes in warfare
worksheet
After you have completed Activity 1, choose one of the following areas:
Artillery; Gas; Guns; Naval Warfare; Tanks; Trenches; Troops; U-boats; Zeppelins.
You will find lots of information on these areas at
http://www.worldwar1.com/armory.htm
Prepare a short presentation on your chosen area. You have to:
- Describe at least one major change or new development in this area
- Explain why it was important
- Provide at least two pieces of evidence which support what you say (e.g. a WWI admiral actually saying that the submarine was an important weapon)
Activity 3 Impressions of war
worksheet
Work in pairs or groups. Watch the section of the programme on artillery. Listen carefully to the poem called ‘The Guns’.
We are the guns, and your masters!
Saw ye our flashes?
Heard ye the scream of our shells in the night, and the shuddering crashes?
Saw ye our work by the roadside, the shrouded things lying,
Moaning to God that he made them - the maimed and the dying?
Husbands or sons, Fathers or lovers, we break them
We are the Guns!
Now go to the website Art of the Great War. Look at the section called The Age of Artillery (the address of this page is http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/guide/4guide.html). Look through the paintings in this section and discuss them with your partner or other group members. You have to:
- Choose two paintings which you think go particularly well with this poem
- Explain (in about 50 words) why each of these two pictures goes well with the poem
You could also look at the sections of the site called Fighting Men and The Battlefield.
Activity 4 Weapons of War
worksheet
Work in groups again. Imagine that you could talk to the producer who made this programme. You have now looked at this programme and at a range of other materials. When he made the programme he divided it into sections. You can see how he did this from the diagram below.
Your task is to prepare an email to the producer. You have to tell him whether you think he got the balance of the programme right. For example, you might think that there was no need for the long introduction. You may feel that the War at Sea got about the right amount of time. Even if you think he got it right, you must write to him to explain why you think he got it right!
© 2000 Channel Four Television Corporation
