World War I: A Short History

World War 1: a Short History is a history lesson for 5th to 7th grade to teach about World War I. It is a 14-page PDF file to be downloaded and printed. There are 4 parts to the lesson.

Part 1: A Changing World This section discusses different inventions and social changes that were happening in the United States of America and around the world and the turn of the Century. There are 1 ½ pages of reading and 6 open ended questions that the student will need to think about and answer.

Part 2: A World War Begins and Family Relations This section sets this course on World War 1 apart from other courses because it goes over the Family connections between the British, Russian, and German Monarchies. This section quotes from messages sent between Czar Nicolas and Kaiser Wilhelm. It also covers the assassination of ArchDuke Ferdinand. It covers who the Central Powers and Allied Powers were during the war. This section consists of 2 pages of reading and 7 open ended questions that expect the student to think about the reading and come up with their own answer, not just repeat what was read.

Part 3: Germany Fights Two Wars This section goes over the war on the Western Front and the Eastern Front but does not spend a lot of time discussing dates and battles. Instead, it talks about How Germany spawned the Russian Revolution to end the War on the Eastern Front and how the Trench Wars kept the war at a standstill for 3 years before the United States joined the War causing the tide to turn, as well as discussing some of the conditions of life in the trenches.

This section consists of just over 2 pages of reading and 14 open ended questions. Again, the student is required to really consider the events discussed in the reading rather than simply recounting information.

Part 4: Goes over the history behind the Poem “In Flanders Field” as well as providing the poem to read.