World War I: "Arming the Earth" Video + Discussion of Discrimination During Wartime + Trench Story + Will's War

Today the Grade 8s:

• Increased their understanding of WW I trench warfare by viewing part of the video, "Arming the Earth,"  from the Bill Moyers series, A Walk Through the Twentieth Century.
• Discussed with the Grade 6s & 7s the question, "Should U. S. citizens with foreign surnames from countries against whom we are fighting be discriminated against in time of war?"
• Continued writing their Trench Story
• Began reading Janice Woods Windle's Will's War, the story of discrimination against German Texans during World War I

Assignments for Thursday
1. Trench Story is due.

• At least 1000 words
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Double spaced
• 1.5-inch margins

2. Will's War

• Finish filling out the Pre-Will's War Chart.
• Read through pp. 1-19 in Will's War.
• Write and post at least 3 discussion questions for each chapter

Trench Warfare + All Quiet + Trench Story

Today the Grade Eighters:

• Continued analyzing diagrams & pictures showing trench warfare on the Western Front in World War I - This is what the American doughboys would encounter when they finally arrived "Over There" in 1917.
• Viewed the first few minutes of the movie, All Quiet on the Western Front, noting the brutality of trench warfare and how, by favoring the defense, it led to the 3.5-year stalemate on the Western Front
• Began writing their 1000-word (minimum) Trench Story, creatively and realistically applying what they are learning about trench warfare.

Assignment for Wednesday - Continue working on your Trench Story. - Due Thursday.

Review of Causes of WW I + Opening Action on Western Front + Trench Warfare

Click above, here, and here for enlarged views.

Today the 8ths:

• Reviewed the causes of WW I
• Looked at the opening action on the Western Front
• Analyzed the German Schlieffen Plan-Before & During
• Read through and examined diagrams in a packet on Trench Warfare on the Western Front
• Students were asked to absorb as much of the information on trench warfare as they could, as they will soon be writing a Trench Story describing an attack on a trench system during WW I
• Found additional information, including videos, online illustrating and explaining trench warfare

Assignments for Tuesday -

1. Continue finding and reading and absorbing information on trench warfare on the Western Front
2. Be thinking about possible approaches to the trench story you will soon be writing.