Introduction:WAR!!The event that we have been waiting for has finally arrived and your chance to become a hero is here. You have been called to serve your country and fulfill your patriotic duty in the most important event of our time. This war and your role in it will be remembered as the defining moment of your generation.
 

Task: You have been asked by your local historical society to keep an accurate record of your experiences over the next few years. You need to include not only a factual account of your experiences but also an account of your emotions and reflections relating to your service during World War I. Your journal will include a minimum of eight entries, a map, and at least five images. Your journal should reflect an evolving perception of the war. In short, the entries will be as follows (details for each entry are outlined in the process section of the webquest):

• Description of yourself
• Description of the causes that led your country to war
• Life in the Trenches
• A detailed description of battle experiences
• An entry from the hospital
• News from the home front
• A poem by a "war" poet, including your interpretation of the poem
• The effects of the Treaty of Versailles on your country

Step 1-You have been called to serve your country in the conflict in Europe. You will be assigned by your teacher a nationality (British, German, French or American) from which perspective you will write your journal. You may choose your own persona. You must decide if you are an infantry soldier, medic, pilot, or sailor.  When you have created your persona you may begin the research.

Step 2-Complete your research using the internet resources listed below, other classroom materials provided by you teacher, and/or library resources. Keep accurate and complete notes to make your journal writing easier. You may want to keep notecards with headings that correspond to the journal entries.

Step 3-Create your journal using the following guidelines

• Entry 1: Describe yourself. Include your age, what you did before the war (student, farmer, factory worker, etc.), role in the war (infantry soldier, medic, pilot, or sailor), motivation for participation in the war, and emotions felt when you left for the war.  One of your photos must be of yourself, either alone or with some friends.
• Entry 2: Describe the causes that led to your country's involvement in the war.Include political movement such as imperialism, nationalism, militarism, various alliances, and key events of 1914 (1917 if you are a US citizen).  You may include your map with this entry.  It should show the 1914 alliances.
• Entry 3: Life in the Trenches. Describe what you experienced on an every day basis. Incorporate the following into your daily experiences:  a description of your any metals you have been awarded, your diet, your living conditions, what the trenches were like, and how you spent free time.  At least one of your photos must be of the trenches.
• Entry 4: Detailed description of battle. Describe a typical battle.  Include in your description trench warfare, no-man's land, new weapons that were introduced during WWI, and battle strategies. If you are a pilot, describe aerial combat.  If you are a sailor, describe a naval engagement. Specify your exact location and the country(ies) you are fighting.  At least one of your photos must be of a battle scene or of weapons used during the war.  Try to include a map of this battle.
• Entry 5: An entry from a hospital. Describe the conditions in a field hospital.  Your persona may be the injured person or you may be visiting a friend in the hospital.  Make sure to include conditions in the hospital, diseases, and treatment procedures.
• Entry 6:  News from the home front.Relate your feelings about war news from your  home.  Possible issues may include rationing, hardships, or propaganda.  U.S. soldiers may also include the conversion of peacetime industries to wartime production and the use of war bonds to finance the war.
• Entry 7: War Poem.  Include a poem by a "war" poet which was published after the war and give your interpretation of the poem.  Are the poet's perceptions and feelings about war accurate?  Do you agree with him?
• Entry 8:  Your reaction to the Treaty of Versailles.What did this treaty mean to you personally and to your country?  If you have not included a map in another entry, you should include one here.  It should be a map of post-war Europe.

• keep good notes during the research
• keep track of the sites where you found pertinent information and pictures
• take the time to verify that the information you gain from the internet is accurate
• stay in character and remember that the viewpoint of your persona should evolve through your journal entries
• use non-Internet sources (videos and readings) in addition to Internet sources

Conclusion: Your research and the journal you created should increase your factual knowledge of World War I, as well as your comprehension of the horrors that each soldier on the front confronted.  At the completion of this assignment, we will in small groups and/or as a class share our journal entries.
 

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This webquest was created by:

Gertrud Brown, English Teacher at Good Counsel High School Wheaton MD
Georganna Schell, Technology Resource Teacher at Wakefield High School Arlington VA
Jim Pearson, Educational Technologist at Quantico Middle/High School Quantico VA
Candra Craig, Social Studies Teacher at Quantico Middle/High School Quantico VA