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Multiliteracies Language Arts

Lesson

Topic: World War I

Grade: Grade 10

Curriculum Expectations:

Students should already have an intellectual understanding of World War I whether it is profligate or limited. Throughout the course of this unit students will analyze the impacts and consequences of Canada’s involvement in WWI. Additionally they will be challenged to utilize reflective practices to better understand the effects that WWI posed on Canada and the world. Through analytic explorations students will also observe the detrimental impacts of WWI and investigate the events that lead up to and transpired during this dramatic time in history (Ontario Ministry of Education, 103).

Specific Objectives (desired student outcomes):

The student’s will-

1. Attitudes: Each student will have a positive attitude and be eager to learn about an important time in history and more specifically in Canadian history.
2. Skills: The students will use deductive reasoning and critical thinking to contribute to class discussions. They will also be challenged to question what is being taught and seek clarification. History lessons benefit from the attainment of intellectual knowledge however we hope that students will use personal and gained knowledge to support their assertions and participate effectively in culminating activities.
3. Knowledge: Students will use previously acquired knowledge of WWI to enhance lessons and discussions. Students will also contribute to class discussions by drawing upon previous knowledge and/or personal experiences.

Major Concepts:

1. Historical Significance
   1. Students will be challenged to determine the importance of something in the past (Ontario Ministry of Education, 104)

Students will develop their understanding that what is historically significant for one group may not be significant to another (Ontario Ministry of Education, 104)

2. Cause and Consequence
   1. Using their newly acquired knowledge of WWI students will be tasked with the responsibility to determine the factors that affected or led to something and its impact/effects (Ontario Ministry Education, 104)
3. Continuity and Change
   1. Students will be required to determine what political, economic and social factors have stayed the same and what has changed over a period of time (Ontario Ministry Education, 104)

Resources:

The board game, dice, instruction sheet, A Brave Soldier

Introductory Activity:

The class will be divided into 4 teams and will select a team name and a marker. Upon completion of this task we will read the children’s book called A Brave Soldier by Nicolas Debon. We will then facilitate a classroom discussion on the book and the student’s existing knowledge of WWI. The book is going to be used as a pedagogical tool to engage students in the lesson.

Developmental Strategies:

• The game was designed to introduce students to the various battles and events that occurred during WW1. The game is both interactive and educational and was created to captivate students’ attention and teach them about an important historical event.

Commence Playing:

1. Select one of four makers
2. The first team to roll a 6 on the dice can enter the board. After rolling a 6, the team will roll again and that will be the number of squares they move. Each subsequent team must also throw a 6 to enter the board. The number on the dice indicates the number of squares your team will move.
3. After rolling the dice place the marker on the appropriate square

Continue Playing:

When a team lands on a ladder or an arrow, certain actions are taken:

Ladder- if a team lands on a square that is at the base of a ladder, their marker moves to the square at the top of the ladder and continues their next turn from there

• At the base of some of the ladders there is a question, the team cannot proceed up the ladder unless the team correctly answers the question. They only have 2 minutes and one opportunity to answer the question and must write their answer down on a piece of paper and give it to the teacher (no electronics will be used during this lesson!). The teacher will confirm whether the answer is correct or not.

Arrow- if a team lands on the flat end of an arrow their marker must slide down to where the square where the tip of the arrow is

• Some squares will indicate a missed turn. If there is an instruction that goes along with a missed turn the team must do the required task
• Some squares will correlate with an Information Envelope. Your team is responsible to read the envelope so they can get a better understanding of what ensued during WW1

Complete the game:

The first team to reach the last square (32) is the winner but you have to have the correct number on the dice to land on the last square

• The aim of the game is to be the first team to reach the end of the board from square 1 to square 32. Your team will travel the board from base to top, right to left.
• As the students advance through the game and learn about new events they will be asked to record important, monumental events in their notes. Through written note taking, students will better absorb the content of the lesson

Context of Lesson:

We believe that our lesson will be effective because it is both entertaining and multimodal and engages students of various learning styles and abilities. Since our lesson is done through the use of an interactive game we hope to encourage the participation of all students, especially reluctant learners. While the students may have limited exposure or understanding of the events that ensued during WWI it is our hope that through their advancement in the game and their reading of the various events students will be both entertained and educated. Through the facilitation of discussions and the emphasis on important concepts we hope to build upon students existing knowledge and connect prior knowledge with learned knowledge.

Praxis Paper:

History is a dynamic subject domain, that we believe benefits through the acquisition of intellectual and practical knowledge. Through out our lesson we believe that we address a myriad of multimodal practices and captivate students attention and interest. Through this authentic, student-centered approach we hope to educate students on fundamental events that shaped both Canadian history and identity.

Through the division of the class in groups, we hope to encourage collaborative learning through “motivation and self-directed learning” (Vaca et al. 17). Students will be motivated to participate in the lesson due to the competitive atmosphere fostered throughout the game, and will be partaking in self-directed learning as they advance throughout the board game and refer to information envelopes. The student’s abilities to communicate and aid to classroom discussions and participation will create an environment that is conducive to learning and understanding.

Diversity within classroom settings is prevalent which is why we constructed our game to appeal to a variety of students on a number of multiliteracy levels. The pictures depict the events that transpired throughout the war and are used as a visual stimulus to attract students and provide them with accurate visual representations. The information envelopes are constructed in a numerous ways and include letters, newspaper articles, maps and military reports. Each envelope correlates with a particular event and is formulated in a didactic way that both entertains and educates students. Throughout the game we hope to captivate all students attention and encourage reluctant learners to be active participants.

Subsequent to the completion of the game students will be assigned a one- page reflection identifying what they learned or found interesting about the war and any questions they would like answered. This reflection will serve as a model of evaluation and the teacher will be encouraged to formulate following lessons based on what the students still need to learn. Employing the Before, During and After Instructional Framework will help enhance our lesson and our understanding of the students knowledge (Vaca et al., 140). Our introductory activity will allow the teacher to understand the student’s prior knowledge and through their advancement throughout the game the hope is that they will garner an understanding of some of the most pivotal events that transpired in World War One. The concluding reflection will allow a teacher to access what knowledge the students have attained.

Canada’s involvement in WWI was very important and aided in the development of the Canadian identity. The game was designed to captivate student’s attention to understand this very important time in history and honor all the brave men and women who lost their lives fighting alongside other countries and troops.

References:

Battle of the Somme. (2015). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/battle-of-the-somme

Duffy, M. (2009, August 22). Battles – The Battle of the Somme, 1916. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/somme.htm

Duffy, M. (2009, August 22). Battles – The Second Battle of Ypres, 1915. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/ypres2.htm

Foot, R. (2006, July 27). Second Battle of Ypres. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-ypres/

Martin, S. (2009, August 22). Women and WWI – Women in the Workforce: Temporary Men. Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_four.htm

No-Man’s Land. (2015). Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.nam.ac.uk/microsites/war-horse/explore/no-mans-land/

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). The Ontario curriculum grades 9-10: Canadian and World Studies. Retrieved from https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/canworld910curr2013.pdf

New-York tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, June 28, 1919, Image 1. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov

Quinlan, D. (2008). The Canadian Challenge. Canada; Oxford University Press.

Simkin, J. (2015). Spartacus Educational. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWnoman.htm

Striking Women. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from http://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/world-war-i-1914-1918

The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2015, from http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/vimy/index_e.shtml

Vacca, R., & Vacca, J. (2013). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum (11th ed.). New York: Longman.