A Soldier’s Story
World War I Lesson Plan
Teacher Name: Mary Barcroft Grade level(s) 9-12 Course: American History, Wars of 20th Century,
World History
Describe the classroom or homework activity to be performed (individual assignment, cooperative learning,
cross curricular, technology based, using artifacts and/or primary sources, etc.)
Students will use Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Henri Barbusse’s Under Fire,
and letters written home by American soldiers to compare the experiences of different participants in
World War I. Remarque describes life in the trenches from a German perspective, the losing side;
Barbusse’s book approaches the same time and place from the French viewpoint, the winning side. The
letters, as primary source material, will provide an experience from the outlook of the American soldiers,
coming fresh to the fighting, not as weary and worn as their European counterparts. This lesson plan
can be done as a group or individual project, and certainly can serve as a cross-curricular activity with
the Language Arts department. It makes use of primary sources, literary sources, and provides the
students with the opportunity to analyze and synthesize information.
Rationale (why are you doing this?)
Students can often use literature contemporary to an era to determine facts about a specific time or
event. World War I lends itself readily to this exercise since a great deal of classic literature came out of
the war.
Through this activity, students will learn to analyze primary source materials such as letters and diary
entries, and literature contemporary to the period. It exercises reading, analyzing, and writing skills, and
allows the students to visualize the war experiences of the soldiers of World War I.
Required time frame:
This activity can be completed in one class period, as long as students do outside reading prior to the
assignment. Teachers can either assign the two books to the class (maybe half reading Remarque,
while the other half reads Barbusse) or choose specific passages for the students to read. The letters
can also be copied and distributed prior to the class period in which this lesson plan will take place.
From where in this WW I conference did you get the idea for this activity or assignment (speaker,
document, photograph, activity, audio recording, other)?
The idea for this lesson came from the availability of letters and diary entries on the internet as
demonstrated during the conference. This, coupled with a class using literature as a clue to history, led
me to try to incorporate the two sources into one lesson plan.
Lesson objectives – the student will:


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Read and analyze literature contemporary to World War I.
Find specific examples in their readings to support a comparison/contrast chart of the three
perspectives
Write a 3-5 paragraph essay explaining what they discovered through their analysis and what they
think constituted or created the differences in viewpoints.
District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met (be specific when
referencing):
Missouri Show Me Standards:
In Social Studies, students in Missouri public schools will acquire a solid foundation which includes
knowledge of
5. the major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movement, regions)
and their relationships to changes in society and environment
6. relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions
7. the use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps, documents)
National World History Standards:
Era 8: A half century of crisis and achievement
Standard 2B
The student understands the global scope, outcome, and human costs of the war.
Standard 2C
The student understands the impact at home and abroad of the United States involvement in World War
I.
Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed – cite title and other detailed
information:
 Books and films selected by the teacher in reference to World War I.
Primary sources (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed –
cite detailed information:
 Henri Barbusse, Under Fire
 Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
 Letters from website: American Letters and Diary Entries
www.libertymemorialmuseum.org/FileUploads/AmericanLettersandDiaryEnt.doc
Technology required: Computer to type paper
Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both you and the students do?
During the unit on World War I, the teacher will provide the Remarque and Barbusse books to the
students to read as homework. Both books are relatively short, and should be easy for the students to
read. It would be advisable to divide the class in half, with each group reading one of the two books. As
an alternative, the teacher may provide certain chapters for students to read, for example, in Remarque,
Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 10 are very useful. Give the students about a week to read their book. The night
before this exercise takes place, provide the students with copies of the letters from the Liberty Memorial
Website to read. Have students bring all materials to class on the day of the lesson.
The teacher will place the students into small groups, making sure that each group has representatives
who have read both books. Each student will fill in their own chart (see attached) comparing each
documents descriptions of life in the trenches and hospitals of World War I. At the end of class, have
each group share their findings with the class, allowing students to make additional notes on their charts
For homework, have each student, individually, write a three to five paragraph essay detailing their
findings and providing their own explanation as to the reason for differences in perspective between the
three sources.
Assessment: fully explain your assessment method in detail or create and attach your scoring guide:
The assignment will be graded by the attached rubric.
SCORING RUBRIC FOR Life in the Trenches
Moderately
Moderately
Strong
Strong
Average
Weak
Weak
Forms a clearly stated thesis
as to the reason for differences
in the sources
5
4
3
2
1
Provides specific examples
from the book or letters to
support opinions
5
4
3
2
1
Demonstrates understanding
of life for a World War I soldier
through analysis of sources
(see chart)
5
4
3
2
1
Conveys clear meaning by
using proper grammar, spelling
and punctuation
5
4
3
2
1
Follows instructions with
regard to mechanics of writing
the paper
5
4
3
2
1
A 5 paper presents a well-developed story and demonstrates good control of the elements of effective
writing. A typical paper in this category




clearly identifies important features of the analysis and develops them in a generally thoughtful
way.
develops ideas clearly, organizes them logically, and connects them with appropriate transitions
sensibly supports the main points of the analysis
demonstrates control of the language, demonstrating ability to use the conventions of standard
written English but may have occasional flaws.
A 4 paper presents a competent analysis and demonstrates adequate control of the elements of writing.
A typical paper in this category

identifies and analyzes important features of the analysis

develops and organizes ideas satisfactorily but may not connect them with transitions

supports the main points of the analysis

demonstrates sufficient control of language to convey ideas with reasonable clarity generally
follows the conventions of standard written English but may have some flaws.
A 3 paper demonstrates some competence in analytical writing skills and in its control of the elements of
writing but is plainly flawed. A typical paper in this category exhibits one or more of the following
characteristics:

does not identify or analyze most if the important features of the discussion, although some
analysis is present

devotes most of its time to analyzing irrelevant issues

is limited in the logical development and organization of ideas

offers support of little relevance and value for points of the analysis

does not convey meaning clearly, or contains occasional major errors or frequent minor errors in
grammar, usage, and mechanics
A 2 paper demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing skills. A typical paper in this category
exhibits one or more of the following characteristics:

does not present a critique based on logical analysis, but may instead present the writer's own
views on the subject

does not develop ideas or is disorganized

provides little, if any, relevant or reasonable support

has serious and frequent problems in the use of language and in sentence structure, containing
numerous errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that interfere with meaning.
A 1 paper demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing skills. A typical paper in this
category exhibits more than one of the following characteristics:

provides little evidence of the ability to understand and analyze

provides little evidence of the ability to develop an organized response

has severe and persistent errors in language and sentence structure, containing a pervasive
pattern or errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that results in incoherence
0----Off-topic
Comparison Chart for Life in the Trenches
In each block, write what you have discovered in your reading. Be sure to make note of the book, chapter, page number, and/or letter that
you are using to support your statement.
Situation
Daily life on the front
Description of Battle
How do they think things will go
when they get home?
Hospital Experiences
Remarque
Barbusse
American Letters