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.
English Teaching
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.
Pat Barker “writing back” to Wilfred Owen
Contributed by Ann-Marie Einhaus, Northumbria University
This is a little exercise I have used for outreach sessions with sixth-form pupils who came to visit the university for a taster day. The exercise is based on a comparison of a passage from Pat Barker’s novel Regeneration and Wilfred Owen’s poem “Disabled”. + Read the full post…