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T E A C H E R S ’ G U I D E

TEACHERS’ GUIDE TO:

PASSCHENDAELEAN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY

CANADA’S TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY ON THE FIELDS OF FLANDERS

By Norman LeachForeword by Paul Gross

Teachers’ Guide by Roberta Mitchell Coulter

W W W. C O T E A U B O O K S . C O M

© Coteau Books, 2008.

Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make copies ofthis guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.

2517 Victoria Ave.Regina, Saskatchewan Canada S4P 0T7

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of theSaskatchewan Arts Board, the Canada Council for the Arts, theGovernment of Canada through the Book Publishing IndustryDevelopment Program (BPIDP), the Saskatchewan Cultural IndustriesDevelopment Fund, Sask Culture, Saskatchewan Lotteries and the City ofRegina Arts Commission, for its publishing program.

THE TEACHERS’ GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Introduction

INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Frontispiece – “I died in Hell…”

Exploration – Opening PiecesActivity – Historical Art Analysis

ForewordClassroom Discussion – All’s Fair in Love and WarInvestigationWriting AssignmentsActivity – Wartime Blog:A Week at PasschendaeleActivity – Museum of Humans at WarActivity – War Correspondent (Video/Newspaper)Activity – Essay QuestionsActivity – Multigenre Research Project

Student HandoutMultigenre Research Project

SELLING WAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13October 10, 1917War in Europe

Opening PiecesVocabulary EnrichmentComprehension/Extension QuestionsInvestigationActivity – Wartime PropagandaSeminar/Dialogue:

“Land of Hope and Glory” – Patriotism & WarStudent Handout

Activity – War PostersSeminar/Dialogue – Propaganda & Why We Love War

BECOMING SOLDIERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20Training for the Western FrontMore Training in England

Opening PiecesVocabulary EnrichmentInvestigation/MappingActivity – “Telegrams from England”Activity – “Mademoiselle from Armentieres”Activity – “Pack Up Your Troubles”

WAR STRATEGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Worry on the Western FrontCanadian Innovation on the Western FrontThe Canadians Prove Their Valour

Opening PiecesVocabulary EnrichmentComprehensionInvestigation – Technology of War

THE BATTLE BEGINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24The Third Battle of Ypres BeginsThe Canadians Prepare to Storm PasschendaeleOctober 25, 1917

Opening PiecesVocabulary EnrichmentActivity – Lampooning the GeneralsSeminar/Dialogue – “Dulce et Decorum Est”

Student HandoutSeminar Discussion – “Dulce et Decorum Est”

CONTENTS

THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27October 26, 1917October 27-29, 1917October 30-November 5, 1917Valour in the Face of the EnemyNovember 6, 1917November 10, 1917Failure Amid Victory

Opening PiecesVocabulary EnrichmentInvestigate – The Victoria CrossActivity – “Hardtack and Bully Beef”

RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Canada’s Last 100 DaysPasschendaele in HistoryCanada’s Route of RemembranceThe Story Continues

Opening PiecesVocabulary EnrichmentActivity – K-K-K-Katy:Women’s SuffrageSeminar & Writing Assignment – “The Ultimate Sacrifice”

THE TEACHERS’ GUIDE

IntroductionThe Battle of Passchendaele epitomizes much of what was good and bad about the Great War for Canada – politically, militarily, and socially – andthus it serves as an appropriate focus for the study of the First World War. Militarily, it was a success for Canada, yet it did not appear to makemuch of a difference to the war’s outcome. It is a source of both pride and sorrow, for the Canadians’ performance was exemplary, yet the cost washigh. Strategically, Passchendaele did not make much sense, yet it became a turning point in the war and a turning point for Canada.

Passchendaele:An Illustrated History provides a concise and compelling vehicle for the study of the Canadian experience of the First World War. Inshort, succinct chapters, it introduces the major themes and issues of the First World War. It sparks student interest through its evocative photo-graphs and quotations, and through the connection with Paul Gross’s movie Passchendaele (which may or may not be included in the unit), forwhich it provides historical background and context.Those elements of the First World War that are not part of the battle of Passchendaele, such asgas attacks, are adequately covered here in the lead up to the battle.

Passchendaele:An Illustrated History is suitable for History 10, History 20 and History 30 (depending on provincial curriculum) and can effectivelybe tied in with English Language Arts studies. It also connects with special events such as Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Introductory Materials• Frontispiece• Foreword• Unit Activities

Encourage student engagement and personal reflection by taking the time to analyze the Foreword with your students.The materials provided inthis section of the Teachers’ Guide will guide you in introducing the unit and provide some ideas for major activities that will broaden studentskills and enhance the learning experience. Several sample unit activities are outlined, some of which offer an element of English Language Artsstudies.

Selling War • October 17, 1917• The War in Europe

The first part of the book (pages 4-7) briefly introduces the battle of Passchendaele, then traces the outbreak and early years of the First WorldWar.These sections focus on the political questions surrounding the First World War, as well as how the government encouraged recruitment andpublic support for the war.

Becoming Soldiers• Training for the Western Front• More Training in England

These sections (pages 8-11) outline the process of turning boys into soldiers.

Passchendaele:An Illustrated History 1© Coteau Books, 2008.Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.

War Strategy• Worry on the Western Front• Canadian Innovation on the Western Front• The Canadians Prove Their Valour

These sections (pages 12-17) focus briefly on the early years of the war, including the first and second battles at Ypres, the Somme,Verdun, butespecially Vimy Ridge and Lens. British Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was criticized by many for applying 19th century strategies to 20th cen-tury technology, and the tremendous cost in manpower that resulted.The significant tactical contributions made by emerging Canadian militaryleaders and the stellar performance of the Canadian troops are also outlined.

The Battle Begins• The Third Battle of Ypres Begins• The Canadians Prepare to Storm Passchendaele• October 25, 1917

These sections (pages 18-23) discuss the British and ANZAC experience at Passchendaele and the preparations leading up to the battle and thechallenges the Canadians would face.

The Battle of Passchendaele• October 26, 1917• October 27-29, 1917• October 30-November 5, 1917• Valour in the Face of the Enemy• November 6, 1917• November 10, 1917• Failure Amid Victory

The battle of Passchendaele itself is the focus of the middle part of the book (pages 24-39). It covers not only the course of the battle, but thestark reality of war, strategy and tactics, military technology, and of course, stories of valour.

Results• Canada’s Last 100 Days• Passchendaele in History• Canada’s Route of Remembrance• The Story Continues

The last part of the book (pages 40-47) covers the end of the war, places Passchendaele and the Great War in context, and examines how wememorialize war.The movie Passchendaele could also be shown here to great effect.

2 Passchendaele:An Illustrated History© Coteau Books, 2008.Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.

INTRODUCTORY MATERIALS

Frontispiece – “I died in Hell…”Exploration – Opening PiecesHistory, English

The book opens with a poem by British First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon.Young people lost their innocence in the First World War, and theshock, not just to them but to society as a whole, was monumental.They expressed their feelings about what they experienced through verse, inpoetry as it had never been written before – gritty, violent, bold, questioning, political.Their writing changed the way humanity thinks about war,from something heroic into something terrible, and their influence on modern poetry was profound.

As you go through Passchendaele:An Illustrated History with your students, begin each class period (or at least every second or third period) by dis-playing and reading aloud one of the First World War poems suggested in this guide. Later, as students come to understand the period and theemotions underlying the poetry, ask a student volunteer to read. If possible, lower the lights during each reading.You might decide to save at least10 minutes at the end of the period for students to reread the poem in light of what they learned in the class, and

• discuss the form, images, rhyme and rhythm of the poem• discuss as a class their reflections on the poem, its meaning, and its impact upon them, or • reflect on the poem and its impact upon them in their journals

You may decide to alternate the poems with popular songs, which provide a glimpse into the popular culture/propaganda of the time. Historicphotographs, paintings, artifacts and posters can further enrich this activity (see activity below). Begin by browsing the art collection of theCanadian War Museum at http://www.civilization.ca/collect/colcwme.html, especially the work of Alexander Young Jackson and Gyrth Russell.Photographs, artifacts, etc. are also available (http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/objects-photographs-e.aspx).

The Canadian War Museum also has an excellent activity on analyzing artifacts and creating a classroom museum at http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/guerre/pdf/4-a-2-a-object-analysis-lesson-plan-7-12_e.pdf.Actual artifacts or images from the museum’s collection could be used for thisactivity.

Activity – Historical Art AnalysisHistory, English,Art

Project an image of the painting “Gassed” (1918) by John Singer Sargent. (A high-resolution copy of this image may be found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Gassed.jpg.)

Have the class analyze the painting, using the questions below as a guide.Tell the class that they will be leading other analyses • What is the first thing you see when you look at this painting?• What are the men in the line doing?• Where are they going?• Who is leading them? Who is leading the other line of soldiers?• What’s going on in the foreground? What are the men on the ground doing? Are they dead?


• Why is everyone blindfolded? (The fact that the eyes of the men are bandaged tells us what kind of gas they were exposed to)• Can we tell from their uniforms what country the men are from? Can we tell whether they are officers or enlisted men? What can youinfer from this?• What do you see in the background?• What colours has the artist used? • Why might the artist have chosen these colours?

At this point you may decide to ask the students what they think would be a good title for this painting, then tell them what it actually is titled.Tell them about the artist.Then project a photograph of actual soldiers blinded by gas, located at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:British_55th_Division_gas_casualties_10_April_1918.jpg.What similarities can they see?

Reflection:Ask students to write about the underlying message of the painting.Ask them why they think the artist painted it as he did. Is it propaganda (sup-porting the war effort) or protest (objecting to the war)?

ForewordClassroom Discussion – All’s Fair in Love and WarEnglish

To introduce the unit, have your students read (silently or aloud) the Foreword to Passchendaele:An Illustrated History. They should spend the rest ofthe first class discussing the personal story Paul Gross tells there, and exploring their own opinions about war. Key questions are listed below; usethe follow-up questions if the class needs assistance in understanding the key issues. If there is time remaining after the discussion, have studentsbegin working on their writing assignment, or assign it for homework.

At the start of the discussion, explain that what we call the First World War was called the Great War by the people at the time because they didn’tknow that it would be the first in a series, and that the Second World War would follow twenty years later. It was called “great” not because it wasa good war – it was a terrible war, for both the people and the countries involved – but because it was so big: it involved so many countries andused so many resources.

Key Questions• Why did Paul’s grandfather volunteer to fight?• After the war, what was Paul’s grandfather’s relationship with his daughters and grandson? • As a soldier, Paul’s grandfather might have killed many people during the war.Why did this incident stick in his mind? (Follow up:Whydid Paul’s grandfather tell the story while sitting with his back to him? If it is your duty to kill, does it matter whether you kill the enemy upclose and directly or with a gun from afar?) • They say that “All’s fair in love and war.” Is it? Is it acceptable to kill someone who has asked for mercy? (Follow up:Why didn’t he takethe German gunner prisoner? If he had had time to think, would he have made a different decision?)


• Have any of your relatives ever fought in a war? Do they talk about the experience?

InvestigationDid the actions of Paul Gross’s grandfather violate any international laws or conventions at the time?

Writing AssignmentsTo Be a Soldier

Paul Gross writes that his grandfather’s story of killing a blue-eyed kid who smiled and called him Kamerad “opened a door onto the adult worldof consequence.” Gross’s grandfather made a number of decisions before, during, and after the war, but the consequences are never explicitly stat-ed.What were these decisions and, based on what can you infer from the Foreword, what were the consequences of being a soldier?

If he could have foreseen the consequences of his actions, would he have made different decisions? Did he have a choice?

Consequences Answer one of the following questions:

• Looking at your own life, have you (or a friend) ever had to face the consequences – good or bad – of a decision made in haste? • Children are often protected from facing the consequences of their actions. Does this prepare them for what they will face in the adultworld?

Unit ActivitiesUnit Activity – Wartime Blog: A Week at PasschendaeleHistory, English

Midway through the unit, set up a class blog on www.blogspot.com or another internet/school blogging site.Ask students to imagine that they arepresent at Passchendaele, but that through some miracle they can communicate with each other, their leaders, the enemy, and their loved ones viatheir blog.Students must adopt a persona, either of an actual person or an individual representative of those present at Passchendaele.Their location may bein a front-line trench, in a field hospital, in the artillery corps, in the German lines, in a command post, in a munitions factory, on the home front,etc.Alternatively, you may have students sign up for various areas to ensure diversity/equal numbers of various roles.The students must write fromthe perspective of that person, so you should spend some time discussing how the perspective of an enlisted man might be different from the per-spective of an officer, for example, or how the perspective of German and Canadian ambulance attendants might be similar.

Each blog should help the class understand what happened at Passchendaele and the First World War.This includes not just military history butalso social, medical, technological history, etc.Their experiences in this week may be shocking or mundane, fun or frightening, but the studentsmust not shy away from discussing emotions and telling the truth.The events of Passchendaele must be historically accurate.They must alsoinclude accurate historical details of their daily experience, including food, clothing, schedule, entertainment, weapons, music, etc.


Student postings are open to everyone in the class (in character), so for example, whatever their sweetheart reads could also be read by their enemy.Throughout the week, all students must make a daily posting of at least 500 words describing their own situation at Passchendaele. In addition to theirown posting, students must respond IN CHARACTER to the postings at least two different classmates each day for a week (at least 250 words each).

AnalysisAfter the Week at Passchendaele is over, ask the students to discuss their experiences, including some of the following questions:

• Were there some blogs they found particularly entertaining? Disturbing? Enlightening?• Was it difficult to include enough historical detail? • Was it difficult to tell the truth about what was happening to you, knowing that everyone – loved ones, the enemy, your superior officer,coworkers, etc. – would read what you wrote? • Was it interesting to read about the effect your actions/thoughts had on others?• Was it difficult to write cheerful posts when you knew that others were undergoing great trials?• Did the tone of the communication change over the course of the week? Did people become more open? Suspicious? Empathetic?Belligerent? • Does the power to communicate honestly change anything? If people communicate honestly, does war become impossible? Why or whynot? Tell the students the story of Christmas Eve 1915, when on the fields of Flanders, soldiers on both sides left their trenches and mingled onNo-Man’s Land, sharing cigarettes and Christmas carols, fellowship and good will.They communicated, just as the students had the opportuni-ty to do on the classroom blog.When Christmas was over, the battle began anew.

Unit Activity – Museum of Humans at WarHistory, English

Modern museum displays are most effective when they use stories of individuals to portray the larger human experience.

Have your class develop a classroom war museum, which could be toured by other classes, parents, etc. Students, working individually or in smallgroups, will put together a display about an individual who may have actually existed or not; he or she may have been a soldier or a munitionsworker, a farmer or a spy, but that person must have been somehow involved in the First World War.

To construct their display, students should collect reminiscences and wartime memorabilia: old letters and postcards, popular songs, personalmementos (theatre tickets, ration cards, posters, newspaper clippings, photographs, etc.). Much information may be found at the Library andArchives Canada website, http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/passchendaele/index-e.html; in addition to other resources, there are almost 4,000photographs at http://www.firstworldwar.com/photos/index.htm. Students may also interview relatives and gather materials and graphics by visit-ing antique stores and internet sources, etc.They could also build models and dioramas of battle scenes, ships, vehicles, etc.

Students should use each item they collect to tell the story of a single individual, though artifacts may also include friends and family, popular cul-ture, government policies, etc.These items need not be authentic antiques: something as simple as an old button could be used to tell an evocativestory.

Artifacts should be displayed as effectively as possible; tables and wall space should be provided to each student as needed. Displays should include



printed labels describing: a) each item’s significance to that person’s life, and b) its connection to the larger story of the war.

Divide the students into large groups to put together focal points for the museum. One group could put together a PowerPoint presentation ofbattle images, and another of images from the home front. Other groups could put together soundtracks to play as background to the presenta-tions, or to play as background soundtracks in the museum.The soundtrack might include sound effects from battle, factories, religious services,etc., as well as excerpts from poems, songs, letters, etc.

This is an ideal opportunity to include those who have family wartime experiences from other countries. Furthermore, the display need not nec-essarily be focused on the First World War; it could be a museum of wartime experiences in general and become part of Remembrance Day activ-ities at the school.

The Canadian War Museum also has an excellent activity on analyzing artifacts and creating a classroom museum at http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/guerre/pdf/4-a-2-a-object-analysis-lesson-plan-7-12_e.pdf.Actual artifacts or images from the museum’s collection could be used for thisactivity.

Unit Activity – War Correspondent (Video/Newspaper) History/Media Studies/English/Art/Graphic Design/Computers

Divide the class into small groups. Each group will produce television news reports on the Battle of Passchendaele from October 25 to November10, 1917, based on what they learn about the action in Passchendaele:An Illustrated History. Each group should have an anchorperson (to introducethe story), a correspondent, a cameraperson, interviewees, actors to recreate the action, etc.

Before beginning the project, have the class analyze the structure of a modern television news story from local or national media. (This is particularlyeffective if it is a report from a war correspondent.) Part of the discussion should concern the impartiality/ objectiveness expected of journalists.This assignment should include a combination of straight news reports (the facts:“who, what, when, where, why and how”) and feature stories(background, human interest:“Life in the Trenches,”“New Technology,”“One Soldier’s Experience,” etc.). Because television is a visual medium, allreports should include several interviews (in-depth or “sound bites”), and recreations of battle scenes.

At the beginning of the project, students should submit a detailed group working plan listing responsibilities and deadlines, along with a story-board and script for each story.

This assignment could also be presented as a local news production from Ypres TV about each of the three battles in the area.Another alternativeis to assign each group a different major battle so that in the end, the class has a good idea of what happened in all the major battles of the GreatWar.

Students who prefer writing/art/design may prefer to present the story as part of a newspaper front page. Pages should be created using page-lay-out software such as InDesign or Pagemaker and should include the following elements:

• Masthead• Headlines• Subheads


• Bylines• Nut grafs• Ledes• Quotations from sources (interviews)• A classic news story (inverted pyramid)• A feature/human interest story• An editorial• Photographs and photo captions (cutlines)• Cartoons• Contents, Etc.

Again, before beginning the project, have the class analyze the structure of a modern newspaper (particularly if it contains war news), showingeach of these elements.Again, a work plan clearly outlining deadlines and responsibilities should be submitted before the project begins. Eachnewspaper team might have an editor, several reporters, a photographer, a typesetter, a cartoonist, etc.

Assessment of video projects should be based on a combination of • Planning (storyboards, teamwork, setting and meeting deadlines, etc.)• Writing and editing (story structure, variety, clarity, effectiveness, fact checking, etc.)• Presentation (on-air presentation quality, interviewing techniques, acting)• Production quality (sound, lighting, and picture quality, overlays, voiceovers, etc.), props

Assessment of newspaper projects should be based on a combination of • Planning (setting and meeting deadlines, production of several sets of proofs, teamwork, etc.)• Writing and editing (story structure, variety, clarity, effectiveness, fact checking, grammar/typos, etc.)• Presentation/production (layout and design, newspaper elements, artwork, etc.)

Unit Essay Questions

• What were the consequences – good and bad – of Passchendaele for the leaders of the Allied forces? • It is said that the First World War generals applied 19th century warfare strategy to 20th century technology. If they could have foreseen theconsequences of their decisions, the First World War would certainly have been fought differently.With the benefit of hindsight, how wouldyou have used the new technologies to win the war? Which battles should not have been fought at all?• Canadians were proud to be part of the British Empire before the war.Why did the First World War help Canada establish itself “as anation independent of its colonial past”? • When the Canadian soldiers got to Britain, it soon became obvious that they lacked British “discipline.”They did not give their upper-class British officers the respect they demanded, and they were treated with more respect by their own officers. How might the realities of theBritish class system have affected the Canadian identity?


Unit Activity – Multigenre Research ProjectHistory, English

This project is well suited to a combined English and history class, but may be conducted separately, particularly if poetry, songs, photographs, andpaintings are part of the unit.

Students should be given at least two weeks to complete the research and work on their pieces.The library and computers should be booked forat least two periods in week 1, and the computers for at least two periods in week 2. Review the students’ sources before the end of week 1 toensure quality; you may wish to provide a list of approved sources for each area of study (trench warfare, medicine, etc.).

Students should be prepared to meet in small groups at the end of week 1 to discuss their historical figure and share photographs and meaningfulartifacts. In small groups, students should spend 10-15 minutes sharing – talking about the photos, asking questions, explaining content, tellingbackground stories, describing future events, discussing possible genres.They can then move to a new group and go through the same process, andthen spend the rest of the period producing an outline of the 5 significant events they plan to write about.They should submit this outline to theteacher at the end of the period, along with the genre they plan to use for each event.

In addition to the daily readings/viewings throughout the unit, teachers should provide models of the various genres from the list on the attachedassignment sheet (and other genres as desired) during weeks 1 and 2. Some of these will be very familiar to the students, but you may need toprovide more formal mini-lessons on form and function of more advanced genres for interested students.Time for peer editing and teacher feed-back is essential in week two.

For more information on multigenre research papers, see Tom Romano, Blending Genre,Altering Style:Writing Multigenre Papers (Boynton/Cook,2000) or Writing with Passion: Life Stories, Multiple Genres (Boynton/Cook, 1995).


STUDENT HANDOUT

Multigenre Research Project

What is it?The multigenre research paper allows you to write creatively about history. It is based on your research into the life of a single historical figure. Itallows you to imagine dramatic scenes and characters’ emotions and allow the reader to experience that life in a way the bare facts don’t allow.

After researching your individual, you will combine this real and imagined information to write at least 5 pieces in different genres on 5 majorwartime experiences, each piece complete and interesting by itself, but combining to give a portrait of your subject’s life.

Homework, particularly thinking and writing time, is essential for this project.

Step 1: Choose a subject and thoroughly research him or her

Choose a single historical figure from the First World War, either:• someone mentioned or quoted in Passchendaele:An Illustrated History• one of your ancestors who fought in the First World War, or • an imagined individual who can represent the experiences of many (a nurse, ambulance driver, etc.)

The possibilities are endless.You may be interested in researching the wartime experiences of :• a Canadian nurse• German Field-Marshall Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who is quoted on p. 25 of Passchendaele:An Illustrated History as saying:“Mostfortunate rain, our most effective ally.”• Private Herbert Peterson, the first missing Canadian soldier of the First World War to be identified using DNA forensics (p. 46)• the man riding on top of the tank in the photograph on p. 38• tenacious but vilified British Field-Marshal Haig• one of the heavily bandaged men in the photograph on p. 19• ordinary Canadian businessman turned brilliant general Arthur Currie• any other of the innumerable people involved in Passchendaele.

You will need to research the life of your subject, using at least 2 internet sources and 2 books, including Passchendaele:An Illustrated History. Thesesources will have to be approved by your teacher before you progress to the next stage.

You will need to produce jot notes and an annotated bibliography, which you will attach to your paper.A complete list of sources demonstratesthat your research has been thorough, so it’s a good thing, not an indication that your work is not original. Be responsible, open and candid. If youquote someone or use someone else’s ideas or material in shaping your own work, acknowledge it. If you don’t, readers might think your researchis of no value, or that you have plagiarized.


Step 2: Imagine

As you are learning, ask yourself, what connects this life to the human condition as a whole? To the time in which he or she lived? The analysisyou do here is critical to the creative writing process that follows.Which five events are critical in his or her life? Those events don’t always haveto be important historical events – life in the trenches, going “over the top,” planning the battle; they can also be about other important aspects ofthat person’s life – they can involve something they were talented at, someone they cared about, etc.

This part of the paper involves a great leap of imagination. Everything that you write will be based on what actually happened in your subject’s life, butyou will have to imagine dialogue, impact, feelings, relationships, etc. that will make those experiences real to your readers. If you have trouble with this,try imagining your subject together with someone significant in his or her life… a loved one… an adversary. Set them to talking about what has passedbetween them, about their passions, life’s work.This dialogue need never have taken place, but captures the essence of the characters’ relationship.

You will have the opportunity to share and get feedback/inspiration from others at this point.

Step 3: Compose a paper that includes a variety of different genres.

Usually, when you write a research paper, you recount the facts of what you’ve learned in a formal essay, but a multi-genre research paper is differ-ent.Your multi-genre research paper will include at least 5 pieces of your own writing, written in a variety of different genres.

• narrative• journal entry• letter• song• character sketch• poetry • stream-of-consciousness passage• newspaper article/interview• dialogue• cartoon/comic book• drawing/painting

Over the two week period, you’ll learn about or review the forms and functions of several different genres.As you research your subject, you’ll getideas about which genre to use for each important incident in your character’s life.

Ideas can come from anywhere. Include historical detail. Render images, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes. Have faith in your ability to write.Thewords and images you choose are important. Look for objects or activities that are central to your character that might deserve their own piece.Develop an extended metaphor that will symbolize something central about your character; repeat a beginning scene, words, or images again atthe end (or throughout) to unify the work.Write simply.

Allow time for several drafts of each piece.When you feel that your writing is polished enough to be submitted for editing, please ask a fellow stu-dent or the teacher to look at your work.


Step 4: Packaging

• Choose a typeface that works for each piece; if it is difficult to read, attach a version in a standard typeface like Times.• Arrange your pieces thoughtfully; the arrangement does not have to be chronological.You may want to start with a mini-climax.• Design some kind of container/cover, endpapers, etc. that express and reinforce the personality/experience of your subject.• Think about whether you need an introduction; if you feel your research paper may be confusing for a reader who does not know thestory of your historical figure, jot down important things readers ought to know before they begin reading your paper, then write directly tothem.Your introduction should be reader-friendly, informative, and engaging.• Don’t forget to include jot notes and an annotated bibliography. Usually, an annotated bibliography summarizes or evaluates the worksused, but in this case it also explains why they were used.

Sample entry in an annotated bibliography:• The phrase “You know, Hughie, this is suicide” that I employ throughout the paper was quoted by Norman Leach in Passchendaele:AnIllustrated History (Regina: Coteau Books, 2008), spoken by Major Papineau to Major Niven while they were waiting for the artillery barrageto begin.“Only minutes later, Papineau would be dead.” (p. 24) It epitomizes the futility of the battle and the absolute awareness of the menwho fought in it.

Step 5: Sharing

Students will share their work with the rest of the class at the end of the project.


SELLING WAR – PAGES 4-7

October 10, 1917War in EuropeOpening PiecesSong “Over There” (lyrics and audio available on many websites, including www.firstworldwar.com/audio/overthere.htm)Poetry “After the Speeches about the Empire” by Ted PlantosDrama Excerpt from “Billy Bishop Goes to War” by John Gray with Eric PetersonArt “The Cloth Hall,Ypres,” http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/official-art-e.aspx Literature Excerpt from Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale HarrisonVideo http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/canadiantrooptrain.htm

Vocabulary EnrichmentAsk the students to define the following words while they read this section, using only the context in which they appear in the text. Discuss thepossible meanings as a class, then have the students check the actual definition.

Pages 4-5 Potent pp. 6-7 FledglingCounterattack Punctuated Allied PickaxeDisembarking Salient Artillery PloughFerocity Stalemate Dispatched PropagandaGreatcoats Tenacity Encompass ViedLooming Ensnared

Comprehension/Extension Questions• Who were the Canadians replacing at Passchendaele? • This battle, which came to be known as Passchendaele (pronunciation: passion-dale), was actually the third in the area.What is this areacalled? • Why did the Germans call the Canadians “storm troops”?• What are the two major landmarks still standing in ruins?• What is a Victory Bond?• Why would a garden help the war effort?

Investigation• Find a map of the Ypres Salient in the Autumn of 1917. In which country is Ypres located? What is a salient?• What are Gothas? • The book starts with the Canadian troops arriving at Ypres on October 10, 1917, but Canadian troops had been involved in other battles. •• Indicate these on a map, along with their dates, along with the battles that followed.


Activity – Wartime PropagandaHistory, English, Media Studies

IntroductionBegin by asking the students to define propaganda; point out that propaganda, while one-sided, is not uncommon in wartime and is not necessari-ly wrong.

Advertising was in its infancy during the First World War and because advertising techniques were as yet unsophisticated, it is a good place tobegin an analysis of advertising and propaganda.There are several posters reproduced on pages 6-7 of Passchendaele:An Illustrated History, and manyothers are available on-line.Analyze these with your class. Look particularly at what is shown in the poster and what is said, but more importantly,ask the class to consider what the underlying message might be. For each, analyze the effectiveness/historical context of the: 1) artwork 2) slogan3) historical context 4) underlying message.

Key Question: What were the posters shown on pages 6-7 of Passchendaele:An Illustrated History intended to do?

These posters have many powerful messages imbedded within their text and graphics. On the surface, the posters are meant to sell Victory Bondsto people on the home front or get them involved in the war effort by planting a Victory Garden.Among other things, students may also note thatthey also serve to recruit soldiers, make citizens feel pride in their boys’ accomplishments, make the citizens believe that they themselves play animportant role in the war effort, incite/reinforce hatred for the enemy, and bolster support for the war effort.

Key Question: Advertising is intended to appeal to our emotions.The top poster on p. 7 celebrates victory and pride; the bottom poster, defeatand hatred.Which do you find most effective?

As the caption on p. 7 points out, the top poster depicts Canadian troops celebrating after their victory at Vimy Ridge, which occurred six monthsbefore Passchendaele.The bottom poster depicts the Llandovery Castle, a Canadian hospital ship torpedoed by a German U-boat in the NorthAtlantic in 1918, killing 234 people, including 94 Canadian medical officers and nurses.According to the War Museum of Canada website,“Wartime propaganda soon referred to German Kultur (culture) as a damning insult, a supposed predisposition for war, cruelty, and destructivenessthat placed Germany outside the community of civilized nations.A total effort against such an enemy was more than justified, it was expected.”(http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/photo-e.aspx?PageId=2.B.5.b&photo=3.D.5.a&f=%2Fcwm%2Fguerre%2Fu-boat-threat-e.aspx)

Key Question: Why is the enemy not mentioned specifically in the posters?

Vilifying and dehumanizing the enemy is important in wartime.This enemy was far away and might have been seen as a remote threat, so this wasprobably very important.

Assignment:Visit a website featuring First World War posters (McCord Museum, http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/GE_P3_1_EN.html,Royal Alberta Museum, http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/vexhibit/warpost/english/home.htm, etc.) and select four posters that you find partic-ularly effective, ineffective, funny, and/or disturbing. Print out and analyze (in writing) the: 1) artwork 2) slogan 3) historical context 4) underlyingmessage.This may require some research, particularly to determine the historical context.


Seminar/Dialogue: “Land of Hope and Glory” – Patriotism & WarHistory, Social Studies

After introducing the concepts of nationalism, ethnicity, and imperialism that sparked the Great War, point out that even though these seem tohave little to do with Canada today, these forces are central to the Canadian experience of the Great War, and indeed to any country’s experienceof any war. Jingoism and propaganda fueled nationalism and patriotism, which contributed to national unity, recruitment, and an energetic wareffort. People signed up for many reasons in the Great War. One of these was patriotism: Canadians, especially those of British origin, felt greatloyalty toward the Mother Country and were proud to be part of the British Empire. During the first few years of the war, a recruitment cam-paign was hardly necessary.As Passchendaele:An Illustrated History points out (pp. 4-5), Canadian Prime Minister Borden initially pledged 20,000men – a significant contribution for a nation of 8 million – to Britain, but 40,000 volunteers signed up.

The day before the seminar discussion, distribute copies of the attached lyrics.“Land of Hope and Glory” was one of the most popular songs inthe years leading up to the Great War. Lyrics and recordings are available on many websites, including the British Broadcasting Corporation,http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A794351, www.firstworldwar.com/audio/landofhopeandglory.htm (includes audio files of many First World Warhits), and the University of Toronto Representative Poetry Online site, http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/2730.html#2 (note especially the 1914version of the lyrics).You may wish to play it for the class; many of them are bound to recognize the tune. It is both an anthem and a hymn,intended to evoke great emotion, and it served to unite the commonwealth in an outpouring of shared feeling.The students will be particularlyinterested if you parallel it with a rock anthem of today.

With lyrics by Arthur C. Benson and music by Edward Elgar,“Land of Hope and Glory” is part of Elgar’s famous Pomp and Circumstance MarchNo. 1 and served as the Coronation Ode for Edward VII and for George V.According to the British Broadcasting Corporation website,“Elgarwrote some really great tunes, and he always knew when he was on to a winner.About this one he wrote at the time to a friend: ‘I’ve got a tunethat will knock ‘em – knock ‘em flat!’” Elgar and Benson added two more stanzas to make it even more stirring and suitable for wartime in 1914.

Go over the Seminar Discussion Instructions with the students.


STUDENT HANDOUT

Seminar Discussion – “Land of Hope and Glory”Our seminar discussion will concern patriotism, nationalism, emotion, and the popular media.

Before the Seminar:1. Read the lyrics and think about them.

2.To help you better explore the meaning and purpose of the song “Land of Hope and Glory,” annotate the text (and bring your marked-up copyfor admission to take part in the discussion) in the following manner.

• Define unknown words• Note repetition of words, phrases, and structure• Underline key phrases• Jot down on the handout

• questions that you have• theories that you come up with• answers that you find

3. Consider as well the following questions:• Have you ever felt so moved by a piece of music that your emotions were affected? • Is there a piece of music or a kind of music that makes you feel patriotic? What about when they play the national anthem for the goldmedal winner at the Olympic Games? Is there any other piece of music that makes you feel patriotic? Noble? That you’re part of somethingbigger than yourself? • During the Great War, Canadian nationalism seemed to be based on pride in being part of the British empire. Is Canadian nationalismtoday still externally based and, as some have claimed, nothing but anti-Americanism? • Is hatred of the enemy an important part of stirring patriotic feelings in wartime?

4. Bring this handout to class for admission to the seminar.

During the Seminar:1. Participate – listen, think, question, make comments.The seminar is only as interesting and useful as you make it.

2. Refer to the text. IT IS YOUR EVIDENCE.

3. Respect your classmates and the text – do not interrupt, build on each other’s comments, criticize ideas rather than people.


STUDENT HANDOUT

Land of Hope and GloryLand of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee? Wider still and wider, shall thy bounds be set.God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet!

Truth and Right and Freedom, each a holy gem,Stars of solemn brightness, weave thy diadem.Tho’ thy way be darkened, still in splendour drest,As the star that trembles o’er the liquid West.Throned amid the billows, throned inviolate,Thou hast reigned victorious, thou has smiled at fate.

Land of Hope and Glory, fortress of the Free,How may we extol thee, praise thee, honour thee? Hark, a mighty nation maketh glad reply;Lo, our lips are thankful, lo, our hearts are high! Hearts in hope uplifted, loyal lips that sing;Strong in faith and freedom, we have crowned our King! (from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A794351)

The 1914 version includes the following stanzas:

Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crownedGod make thee mightier yet!On Sov’ran brows, belov’d, renown’d,Once more thy crown is set.Thine equal laws, by freedom gained,Have ruled thee well and long;By Freedom gained, by Truth maintain’d,Thine Empire shall be strong.

Thy fame is ancient as the days,As Ocean large and wide;A pride that dares, and heeds not praise,A stern and silent pride.Not that false joy that dreams contentWith what our sires have won;The blood a hero sire hath spentStill nerves a hero son.


Activity – War PostersHistory/Social Studies/Media Studies/Art

What did recruiters think would persuade men to risk their lives by joining the Canadian Expeditionary Force? How did the Canadian govern-ment encourage support for the war effort on the Home Front when its citizens were confronted with the enormous death tolls, wartime short-ages, the changing role of women, etc.?

Ask the students to look at the chart at the end of the article (http://www.utne.com/2003-01-01/why-we-love-war.aspx?page=6), which outlinesthe differences in the way people perceive reality in wartime and peacetime.Working in pairs or alone, have the students visit the websitewww.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/GE_P3_1_EN.html.Ask the students to find a poster that exemplifies each of the wartime per-ceptions of reality and write a brief description of it and explanation of why it does so.

Seminar/Dialogue – Propaganda & Why We Love WarHistory/Social Studies/Media Studies

Pre-Seminar Activities1. Poster Activity (enrichment – optional; see above)2. Reading

Play Lady Margot Asquith’s recording describing the crowds in London when war on Germany was declared (last half of http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/Lady%20Margot%20Asquith%20-%20August%201914.mp3).Then have your students read the article “Why We Love War”(Lawrence LeShan, Utne Magazine, Jan/Feb 2003, www.utne.com) either in its entirety (for advanced students) or at least the section that begins,“There are three ideas that, when they appear in society, should be regarded as signals that we are moving toward war…” and ends,“In regard toour own leaders, a “Teflon factor” appears; we quickly forget their mistakes and believe anything they say.” (http://www.utne.com/2003-01-01/why-we-love-war.aspx?page=3).

Students should be encouraged to annotate the article/excerpt carefully, defining any unfamiliar words, highlighting key passages, noting any ques-tions or counterarguments they might have.

Seminar/DialogueTo show that they have thought about the issues that they are going to be discussing, students should submit:

• their poster assignment (if assigned)• their marked-up copy of the article

Opening Question: What is a “mythic war”? What does it involve? (eg., the wartime depiction of the enemy as the embodiment of evil, theglory of the fight, and the traitorousness of dissenters)

Suggested Follow-up Questions:• Governments have many practical reasons for going to war.What reasons might a country’s government have for going to war? • Going to war also presents problems for governments.Why are these problems?


• What makes war acceptable to/problematic for ordinary people? • Will people go to war for reasons that may be logical, such as economic reasons, but do not stir their emotions? • Is it necessary that government give war mythic properties to make it acceptable to the populace?

Follow-up AssignmentImagine that you want to encourage your citizens to support and volunteer for a war against a country that has not been your traditional enemy.Choose one of the following means to stir the populace and sway their opinion of the war.

• Write and deliver a speech to parliament (the class)• Write, typeset, and distribute a front page of a newspaper that includes photographs, news articles, and an editorial; distribute it to the class• Design a series of posters intended to recruit soldiers and display them in the classroom• Write a song or poem that will strengthen the resolve of the populace at a time when all hope seems lost; present it to the class


BECOMING SOLDIERS – PAGES 8-11

Training for the Western FrontMore Training in EnglandOpening PiecesSong “Keep the Home Fires Burning” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/keepthehomefiresburning.htm)

“Mademoiselle from Armentieres” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/mademoisellefromarmentieres.htm) “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/itsalongwaytotipperary.htm)

Poem “Glory of Women” by Siegfried Sassoon (available on www.barleby.com)Music “He Will Always Remember the Little Things You Do” (sheet music, http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj-m1-f2/csm06166.pdf

Info on sheet music at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/4/1/m5-170-e.html

Vocabulary EnrichmentAsk the students to define the following words while they read this section, using only the context in which they appear in the text. Discuss the possible meaningsas a class, then have the students check the actual definition.

Pages 8-9 Rescind Telegram pp. 10-11Indomitable Scavenged Canteen ContingentAction Muster Regime RigoursBayonet Embarking

Investigation/Mapping1. What is Stonehenge? Locate it on a blank map of Europe, along with the following:

England English Channel Salisbury YpresFrance Flanders St. Eloi Armentieres

Plymouth

2. Who was Sam Hughes? Is he a Canadian hero or villain of the First World War?

Activity – “Telegrams from England”Ask the students how many text messages/msn conversations they have each day.Tell them that some people say that kids are writing so many textmessages that they no longer know how to spell or punctuate correctly, but that others say that it is good because they are writing more than anygeneration since the invention of the telephone.Ask them to analyze this way of writing and give you some rules and abbreviations so that youcan learn how it’s done.Write these on the board under the heading “Text Speak.”

Then ask “What is a telegram?”Telegrams were the way people communicated quickly with someone far away in the 19th century – there was noairmail, no telephone. Like “textspeak,” a telegram is text only, and it had a distinct language and style. Because telegraph companies charged bythe character, people tried to pack as much information as possible into the smallest number of characters.The writing style was clipped, with lots


of abbreviations, but the word “stop” had to be used instead of a period. Give the students a sample telegram.

Using the information on http://www.telegraph-office.com/pages/telegram.html, teach a brief lesson on how to write a telegram, writing themost important rules beside the textspeak rules.

Assignment:You have just arrived in France after training in England. Using the information on page 10 of Passchendaele:An Illustrated History and your ownimagination, write a telegram to your mom telling her about your experience (and, of course, that you are still alive). Use the telegraphese astaught in class, and include all standard elements as on the sample telegram (including, for example, the street address – your telegram will, ofcourse, be delivered to its destination by a young boy on a bike as soon as it is received at the telegraph agent’s office!). Next, translate your mes-sage into “text speak.” Submit both messages.

Activity – “Mademoiselle from Armentieres”History, Music, English

Play “Mademoiselle from Armentieres” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/mademoisellefromarmentieres.htm) and distributesample verses, explaining that soldiers made up their own lyrics to the song as a form of protest and as a way to make a joke of a bad situation.Have the students note the words and rhythm that remain constant through each verse, then work in pairs to write a new verse that reflects theCanadian soldiers’ attitude toward their British officers or that makes fun of their training experience.

Activity – “Pack Up Your Troubles”History, Physical Education

To begin this activity, play “Pack Up Your Troubles” as students are entering classroom (available on many websites, including http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/packupyourtroubles.htm).Tell the students that the soldier pictured on page 9 in full kit with a small pack and rifle is carry-ing 24 kg of gear into battle.That’s not a lot for a grown man, unless you’re trying to traverse No-Man’s Land under heavy fire.Ask for suggestionsof what the gear might have included.Tell the students that they must outfit a kit with the same heavy load as a First World War soldier wouldcarry, filling the backpack with bags of flour, rice, etc. from home.They must bring their load for a weigh-in and then carry it throughout the fol-lowing school day, on the way to and from school and between classes, and then debrief in the next class.

Key Questions:• Could they have fought a battle while carrying the load? • Could they have managed to fight after a day of carrying the load?


WAR STRATEGY – PAGES 12-17

Worry on the Western FrontCanadian Innovation on the Western FrontThe Canadians Prove Their ValourOpening PiecesPoems “Ypres: 1915” by Alden NowlanSongs “The Tanks that Broke the Ranks Out in Picardy” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/tanksthatbrokethe

ranks.htm) (Note: Picardy is a province in the north of France; its largest city is Amiens.)Art “Vimy Ridge From Souchez Valley,”Alexander Young Jackson, http://www.civilization.ca/collect/artifact/w6a16012.html

“The Crest of Vimy Ridge,” Gyrth Russell, http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/photoe.aspx?PageId=3.D.2&photo=3.D.2.q&f=%2fcwm%2fguerre%2fofficial-art-e.aspx

Audio “Gas! Gas!,” Ideas, CBC Radio (Broadcast Date: May 7, 2003), http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/first_world_war/topics/2425/ Internet Have the students explore some of the following resources on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/

launch_ani_mark_one_tank.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_vt_dogfight.shtml


Pages 12-13 Quagmire Infantry BunkerAnticipated Sagely Reconnaissance AnnihilatedBunkers Teetering BombardmentBombardment Vulnerable Aerial pp. 16-17Czarist Barrages Forge Entrenched pp. 14-15 Grenade Colonial Morale Wholesale Coordinate FortifiedObliged Grenade Emplacement SanguinaryPillboxes Artillery Counter Tactician

Comprehension• Give three reasons why the Allied forces were in trouble on the Western Front in 1917.• Outline General Haig’s plan to break through on the Western Front.• Why was the German position at Ypres so strong?


Investigation – Technology of WarHistory, English, Science

Part of what made the First World War so terrible was the development of powerful new military technology. Machine guns, hand grenades, poi-son gas, tanks, flamethrowers, submarines, zeppelins, concrete pillboxes, etc. increased suffering and casualties even though they were not, at first,used effectively.“Much of the nature of the fighting taking place in the First World War was alien to Haig, a cavalry man through and through.He did not rate very highly the war’s new weaponry. ‘The machine gun is a much over rated weapon,’ he said in 1915; he made similar remarksover the use of the tank.” (http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/haig.htm) Eventually, however, the new technology changed the way battles werefought – the generals came to understand how to fully exploit their new weapons and changed their strategies and tactics.

To experience this learning curve firsthand, have students visit the BBC website, http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/hq/games.shtml, toplay the Trench Warfare Game (“Experience the danger of a First World War battle. Can you win the day, or will you be responsible for thousandsof deaths?”).

Have students read “The New Weapons of War” (http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/hist_simkins_03_newweapons.html), then, working insmall groups, investigate and put together a short (5 minute) Powerpoint/poster presentation on:

• The development, use, and effects of one of the following new technologies of the First World War:• Poison gas• Aerial reconnaissance and bombardment• Artillery barrages• Tanks• Machine guns, flamethrowers• Airplanes, zeppelins• Trenches• Battleships, submarines

• One of the following tactical innovations to warfare introduced by Canadian Corps in the First World War.• Prior knowledge of battlefield and plans for infantry• Specialized attack training• New specialist roles for machine-gunners, riflemen, grenade-throwers• Counter-battery fire• The rolling barrage

Alternative: The war affected other areas of life as well. Students who are more interested in change as it relates to society rather than technologymight investigate how the First World War affected the role of women in society, class structure, the colonial system, medicine, etc.


THE BATTLE BEGINS – PAGES 18-23

The Third Battle of Ypres BeginsThe Canadians Prepare to Storm PasschendaeleOctober 25, 1917Opening PiecesPoems “War” by Arthur Stringer

“Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen“The Anxious Dead” by John McCrae

Memoirs “Artillery Devastation at Third Ypres,” http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/ypres3osborn.htm Art “Gassed” by John Singer Sargent

“Tanks,” Sir David Muirhead Bone, http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/photo-e.aspx?PageId=3.D.2&photo=3.D.2.ao&f=%2fcwm%2fguerre%2fofficial-art-e.aspx Photos “Water filled trench at Passchendaele,” http://www.gwpda.org/photos/bin06/imag0507.jpg Websites Have the students explore the BBC website, particularly the following area, which will help them understand the various elements oftrench warfare: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_wwone_movies.shtml


Pages 18-19 pp. 20-21 pp. 22-23 PillboxesImperative Concessions Bayonets PockmarkedPeriphery Extracting Bombardment RubbleSustaining Formidable Bully-beef SporadicallyTenaciously Frittered Bunkers StallTorrential Parties Entanglements Unrelenting

Reconnaissance Intersecting UnseasonablyRolling barrages Mire VerdantTerrain Morass

No-man’s land

Activity – Lampooning the GeneralsHistory, English, Music,Art

After the Battle of Passchendale, British prime minister David Lloyd George said that British general Haig “does not care how many men he loses.He just squanders the lives of these boys” (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/battles/somme.htm). Have the studentsread about the strategies of Generals Douglas Haig and Erich von Falkenhayn and the Battle of Passchendaele on the PBS website


(http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/hist_wilson_05_haig.html and http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/historian/hist_wilson_06_passchendaele.html)and consider why an ordinary soldier might object to what was going on and either get angry or make fun of what they perceived as stupidity.

AssignmentImagine that you are an ordinary soldier who is going to be sent to Passchendaele.You have already seen death and destruction on a scale youcould never imagine, and your opinion of the strategies pursued by the generals is low.You are deeply affected by your experience, and to go on,you must either laugh or cry. Undertake one of the following projects and present it to your fellow soldiers (the class):

• Lampoon the strategies of the generals in a satirical trench newspaper or draw a comic about your experience of Passchendaele.• Write a poem that speaks of what the war experience is really like.• Draw or paint a scene from Passchendaele. Ensure that you have a specific message in mind and that this is clearly communicated to peoplein your use of composition, texture, colour, etc.

Seminar/Dialogue – “Dulce et Decorum Est”History, English

For more information on conducting a seminar, refer to the instructions for the Seminar/Dialogue on “Land of Hope and Glory” earlier in thisTeachers’ Guide.A student handout is attached.

Some of the methods of government persuasion that students may come up with include:• vilifying the enemy• making people feel they are part of something bigger than themselves: the empire, the war effort, etc.• patriotism• sentimental feelings – protecting one’s home and family • pride: not letting down the men who went before, who fought and died in the effort

Key Questions:1.The Canadian troops going into the Battle of Passchendaele knew what they were getting into.They were seasoned troops.They had experi-enced earlier battles.They saw the exhausted British and Anzac troops leaving the field. How could they have been persuaded to take up the fight?

2. Is it better to die for a cause you believe in than to merely survive? (What is the meaning of life?)


STUDENT HANDOUT

Seminar Discussion – “Dulce et Decorum Est”

Before the Seminar:

1. Read the poem and think about it.What is your initial gut reation? 2. Governments have many ways to persuade people to fight, kill, and possibly die on their behalf.What are methods have we seen so far in ourstudy of the First World War? List these, and ponder their effectiveness.3.To help you better explore the meaning and purpose of the poem “Dulce and Decorum Est,” annotate the text (and bring your marked-upcopy for admission to take part in the discussion) in the following manner.

• Define unknown words• Note repetition of words, phrases, and structure• Underline key phrases• Jot down on the handout

• questions that you have• theories that you come up with• answers that you find

4. Bring your notes to class for admission to the seminar.

During the Seminar:

• Participate – listen, think, question, make comments.The seminar is only as interesting and useful as you make it.

• Refer to the text. IT IS YOUR EVIDENCE.

• Respect your classmates and the text – do not interrupt, build on each other’s comments, criticize ideas rather than people.

THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE – PAGES 24-39

October 26, 1917October 27-29, 1917October 30-November 5, 1917Valour in the Face of the EnemyNovember 6, 1917November 10, 1917Failure Amid VictoryOpening PiecesPoems “The Attack” by Siegfried Sassoon

“Mud and Rain” by Siegfried SassoonArt “Mud Road to Passchendaele,” Douglas Culham, http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/photo-e.aspx?PageId=3.D.2&photo

=3.D.2.u&f=%2fcwm%2fguerre%2fofficial-art-e.aspx “Canadian Gunners in the Mud, Passchendaele,” Lieutenant Alfred Theodore Joseph Bastien, http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/

guerre/photo-e.aspx?PageId=3.D.2&photo=3.D.2.v&f=%2fcwm%2fguerre%2fofficial-art-e.aspx “Trench Raid,” H.J. Mowat, http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/photo-e.aspx?PageId=3.D.2&photo=3.D.2.cp&f=%2fcwm%

2fguerre%2fofficial-art-e.aspx Audio http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/Major%20A%20E%20Rees%20-%20In%20The%20Trenches.mp3 Websites First World War Movies, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/launch_ani_wwone_movies.shtml

“The murderous mud of Passchendaele,” CBC-TV Their Springtime of Life (Broadcast Date:Aug. 22, 1972, 13:08 minutes),http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/first_world_war/topics/2425/. Canadian veterans recall what it was like trying to stay alive in the deadly mud of Passchendaele.

Maps http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/maps_ypres.htmlhttp://www.firstworldwar.com/maps/graphics/maps_61_wfront_cambrai_(1600).jpg


Vocabulary EnrichmentAsk the students to define the following words while they read these sections, using only the context in which they appear in the text. Discuss the possible meaningsas a class, then have the students check the actual definition.

Pages 24-27 Quagmire Mounting CarnageAfforded Respite Plagued HomageBatteries Relieve Shrapnel ProfoundlyBeggars Salvos Sporadic PropheticBolstered Skirt Sweeping ResonatesBombardment Trajectory SavageCommenced pp. 28-29 ShroudConsolidate Bombardments pp. 32-33 SmoulderingDefensible Extracted Fortification UnspeakableHard-tack Persistently GarrisonHindered Raked pp. 38-39Impassable Upon pp. 34-35 DeploymentIntensified Billets HingedInventive pp. 30-31 Emplacement LumberedMayhem Attitude Repelling PredicableMire Barrage Tasked PreliminaryMorass Breastworks VitalMortar Housing pp. 36-37 SwathPeppering Howitzer Abundant

Investigate – The Victoria Cross• What are the criteria for the awarding of the Victoria Cross?• What is the German equivalent? The French equivalent?

ExtensionInvestigate and prepare a PowerPoint presentation on the medals given out by all of the combatants during the First World War.

Activity – “Hardtack and Bully Beef”History, Home Economics

Soldiers have to eat, but how do you feed thousands of soldiers on the front lines in the midst of battle, with no access to refrigeration, no fast-food, in a place where even lighting a fire or a cigarette was so dangerous a match was called a Lucifer?

Play a short video of British soldiers receiving rations (http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/britishrations.htm).Ask the students about what thesoldiers are eating, and to comment on the weather.Then divide the students into units from the different nations involved in the First World War.Have each unit investigate which foods were commonly included in battle rations for each country and then organize a picnic featuring only


those foods. In addition to store-bought items (such as tinned corned beef – the “bully beef ” of the First World War), each group must prepare inadvance at least one item from a recipe they find online, in quantities sufficient for all to have a taste. During the picnic, each group shoulddescribe what is in their battle rations, and share their homemade item with other units.After the picnic, have the soldiers from all the units voteon the best recipe for the homemade item.

Key Questions:• Why was it called bully beef? Hardtack?• What did the battle rations of different nations have in common?


RESULTS – PAGES 40-47

Canada’s Last 100 DaysPasschendaele in HistoryCanada’s Route of RemembranceThe Story ContinuesOpening PiecesPoems “The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke

“In Flanders’ Fields” by John McCrae“Lest We Forget” by F.R. Scott “A Page from Our History” by Raymond Souster“Aftermath” by Siegfried Sassoon

Art “For What?” Frederick Horsman Varley, http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/guerre/photo-e.aspx?PageId=3.D.2&photo=3.D.2.ck&f=%2fcwm%2fguerre%2fofficial-art-e.aspx

Songs “There’s a Long, Long Trail a’Winding,” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/John%20McCormack%20-%20There%27s%20A%20Long,%20Long%20Trail%20A-Winding.mp3)

“HowYa Gonna Keep ’Em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/howyagonna.htm)

“Till We Meet Again” (lyrics and audio, http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/tillwemeetagain.htm)Movies Passchendaele by Paul Gross


Pages 40-41 pp. 44-45 pp. 46-47Refrain Armistice ForensicsRespite Austere Genealogical

Commemorating Illuminationpp. 42-43 Inscribed WinnowedImpaired Interspersed

MemorialReinterred


Activity – K-K-K-Katy:Women’s SuffrageHistory, English

Begin by playing the song “K-K-K-Katy” (available at http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/katy.htm).Tell the students that when the boys camehome, they may have expected to find women waiting for them by the k-k-k-kitchen door, but much had changed over the course of the war.The First World War had of course begun with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but also with a British suffragette throwing herselfto her death under the feet of the king’s racehorse at Ascot (a video of this is available on http://www.firstworldwar.com/video/epsomsuf-fragette.htm, although the quality is not great).

Key questions: Why would she do that? What was a suffragette?

To understand how war affected the rights of women, have the class read the following short articles:• Women in the war effort: Rebecca West,“The Cordite Makers,” http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/learning_modules/english/03.TU.01/?section=6• Women at the front, http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_one.htm • On the home front, http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_two.htm

While they read, they need to find answers to the following questions:• what things changed and why• what effects did each of the changes have on society

InvestigationWhen the First World War began, women were not allowed to vote in Canada.The war changed that.Why were they finally given the right tovote? Make a list of the dates when women in each province won this right.

AssignmentChoose one of the following assignments.Whichever option you choose, a bibliography must be provided.

• Investigate one of the women involved in the Canadian women’s suffrage movement and either write a three-page essay or present a pro-file of her activities to the class using PowerPoint.• Compile either a display with photos and accompanying text or a PowerPoint presentation that illustrates either women’s role at the frontor in the workforce during the First World War.• In a three-page essay or in an oral report to the class, analyze how women were portrayed either in song or in posters during the FirstWorld War. Did the portrayal evolve over the course of the war? Include quotations from lyrics/copies of posters if using the essay format;include clips from songs/PowerPoint presentation if doing an oral report.


Seminar & Writing Assignment – “The Ultimate Sacrifice”History, Social Studies, English

Have students read “The Post editorial board on avoiding half-mast vertigo: Don’t lower the Canadian flag for every dead soldier” (National Post,http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/04/02/the-post-editorial-board-on-avoiding-half-mast-vertigo-don-t-lower-the-canadian-flag-for-every-dead-soldier.aspx), marking it up and making notes on the initial question in order to gain entrance to the sem-inar, where they and the follow-up questions should be discussed.

Initial Questions:• Should every soldier’s death be an occasion for national mourning?• What is the current policy for lowering the flag?

Follow-up Questions:Traditionally, such as in the First World War, Canadian soldiers have been buried where they fell in battle. Recently, in conflicts such asAfghanistan, Canada has begun transporting the bodies of its fallen soldiers home for burial to honour their sacrifice and out of respect for theirfamilies’ grief.

• Does seeing pictures of coffins being unloaded from airplanes every night on the news make people think too much about the costs of warand so not support it? • Perhaps fallen soldiers belong to that foreign field on which they fell, with their comrades?• Would we forget about their sacrifice if we didn’t see it? • How should Canada mark the Ultimate Sacrifice?• Which approach would you choose if you were prime minister and had to consider not only what is morally right but what is politicallyexpedient?

Assignment:Write a brief personal essay on The Ultimate Sacrifice, using the following questions to spark/guide your response.

• Would you be willing to sacrifice your life for your country, a deeply held belief or cause, or to save the life of another person? If so, underwhat circumstances?• Would you be more likely to do this

• on the spur of the moment (such as throwing yourself in front of a bus to save someone else)• when you want to be part of something big (going “over the top” with your buddies)?• if you have time to think about what you believe in?• if your emotions or passions are involved?

• Does it matter if your sacrifice is widely recognized, or even marked at all?• Would dying for a cause or belief make one’s life count for more?• Passchendaele was taken and held at great cost to Canadian, British,Australian, German, and other nations’ troops.Taken in November andheld for only a few months, it was of no great strategic importance, although much was learned there.Was the battle of Passchendaele point-less? If so, does it make the lives lost there somehow less important?


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