Activities
Activity 1
Note making
Take notes on the programme in a table like the one below.
|
What do you find out about Fraser, Eric, Helen and Sena? |
What do you think about them? |
|
The effects of bombing |
Air-raid precautions |
The role of women |
Evacuation |
Activity 2
Making sense of the information
It is possible to form opinions from facts. This is sometimes called ‘making an inference’. It is like guessing — but some guesses are better than others.
From the following three facts, choose which inference you think is the most plausible.
1. Fraserburgh was bombed during the Second World War by German Heinkel bombers.
Possible inferences:
- German aircraft bombed everywhere in Britain during the war.
- Fraserburgh contained strategically important places which the Germans wanted to destroy.
- Germany hoped to invade Britain by landing troops in Fraserburgh.
2. William was evacuated from his home because of an unexploded bomb near by; he didn’t like the family he stayed with.
Possible inferences:
- William was a naughty and unruly boy.
- All children who were evacuated were unhappy.
- William was upset about being moved from his house and separated from his family.
3. Women did jobs in the factories during the Second World War which had only been done by men before.
Possible inferences:
- There were no men available to do the work.
- People believed more strongly in equal opportunities for women.
- Women were getting stronger.
Find some other facts about the impact of the war on Fraserburgh and make up your own list of possible inferences; then test them out on your friends.
Activity 3
Research
The following web links will help you find out more about aspects of the Second World War. Click on the ones that interest you and see what you can discover.
http://www.secretbunker.co.uk/
(The discovery of a secret bunker in Scotland.)
http://homepages.force9.net/dfarrant/
(Britain in the Second World War. Click on ‘pill boxes’.)
http://learning.channel4.com/netnotes/dsp_program.cfm?ProgramID=1136
http://learning.channel4.com/netnotes/dsp_program.cfm?ProgramID=1137
(‘The Home Front Through Home Movies.’)
Activity 4
Life stories
Talk to an older relative or friend about how they think the lives of women have changed over the years. (It doesn’t matter how old they are, but it is important that you find out in which year they were born.)
Find out as much factual information as you can. What work did women do? How much did they get paid? Were they treated in the same way as men? Also try to find out about their opinions and feelings. Which changes are for the better?
It would be a good idea to discuss as a class the kinds of questions you might ask, before talking to the relative or friend.
When you have collected your information, back at school you could share the stories — perhaps writing a summary on a piece of paper and collecting the summaries together on a notice-board.
