Lesson Idea: Let's have a look at trenches

• New lesson editor
• History
• Rosenshine
• +4
• Primary Education
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)
• Higher Education (degree)
• Foundation Degree

Introduction

Looking at images, regardless of the subject, is fantastic. A captivating image grabs the students' attention and can lead to a meaningful discussion. That's probably why you've adorned your classroom with some beautiful posters. With the Hotspot feature, you can add extra information to an image in LessonUp. This allows you to create an informative and interactive visual aid.

Instructions

What is it?

An interactive visual aid with hotspots has several advantages. You can convey a relatively large amount of information without covering the image with a large chunk of text.

Moreover, a student can absorb the material at their own pace and in their own way. This allows for effective differentiation. In some cases, you can include the same amount of information in hotspots as you would in a book. However, because it's presented differently, the impact is much greater. This is especially beneficial for students who may perceive a text in a book as "dense." And these students don't necessarily have to be dyslexic.

Let's have a look at...

trenches

Western Front

1914-1918

Sandbags were filled with earth and mud to protect the soldiers.

When the war started food supplies were still sufficient for all soldiers, but as the war went on, there was less and less (good) food.

When soldiers were not fighting, they often used to play cards.

The soldiers suffered greatly from vermin such as rats and fleas. Some soldiers spent the time between battles killing rats.

Not only did the dogs keep the soldiers company, they also delivered groceries between trenches.

Soldiers could often sleep only during the day, because the night was a good time to spy on the trenches of the enemies. 

With a periscope, the soldiers were able to see the enemy without risking their lives. A periscope works with two lenses.

Thousands of letters and diaries of soldiers from the First World War have been preserved. These are important and valuable sources of information.

For the safety of the soldiers, the trenches weren't shaped in straight lines. They had corners.

40,000 km of trenches were built between the North Sea and the Swiss border (Western Front).

In four years, the area between the trenches has changed completely. It has become a no-man's-land.

Guarding the trenches was one of the most important responsibilities. There were very severe penalties for falling asleep during guard duty.

Besides fighting and keeping watch, there were plenty of other annoying jobs to do in the trenches, such as refilling sandbags, repairing barbed wire or emptying the latrines (toilets).

360 video of the trenches