English Teaching

British Library World War One Portal

In early 2014, the British Library launched this new portal, which is linked to the Europeana 1914-1918 project and offers a staggering wealth of digitised source materials, succinct articles by leading experts and researchers, and a large array of lesson plans and teaching resources for pupils aged 11 to 18 that cover a wide range of new and exciting topics, such as the colonial experience of war, recruitment and conscientious objection, tactile experiences of warfare, etc. The resources are adjustable for different age groups and suitable for a range of subjects.

Working with drafts of Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est”

Contributed by Rachel Yarrow, Abingdon School, Oxfordshire

This is an exercise that encourages students to think about the creative process, editing and the development of a text. It requires them to think about changes made and reasons for these changes, and at the same time prompts them to think about the conditions of gas warfare that Owen writes about. Depending on pupils’ ability, this will work for year 9 or potentially year 8. The worksheet includes images of the drafts, courtesy of the First World War Poetry Digital Archive.

Dulce et Decorum drafts lesson