1. WWI Warfare, Technology and Battles

2. The Lost Battalion
We are going to watch a scene from the movie The Lost Battalion – a film based on a true story about American soldiers who got separated from their group and surrounded by the German military during WWI. While you watch, pay attention to any technology or attack strategies you can see – after watching, we will chat about what we picked up on.

3. Think-Pair-Share What type of technology did you see in this scene?
What type of attack strategies were being depicted in this scene?

4. Outline
In our past two classes, we looked at Conscription and saw the role it played in getting more Canadian men to join the army. Today, we will look at the warfare landscape that these people got thrown into. Specifically, we will be discussing the technological and warfare advancements of WWI, and reading about some of the great battles Canadians took part in.
Our outline for today is:
A very short discussion on technology and warfare in WWI.
A quick research session on WWI technological advancements.
A class discussion and short video on warfare strategies.
A reading activity/ group work on WWI battles.
Another video analysis.

5. New technology that was developed at the beginning of the 20th century changed the way wars were fought
In earlier years, foot soldiers, supported by cavalry (soldiers on horses), tried to outmaneuver the enemy
By 1914, new weapons were so powerful and deadly that it was certain you would die if you charged across open ground
Despite the new weaponry, many commanders failed to understand how the new technologies demanded new tactics
Over the next three years ( ), generals stubbornly engaged in a war of attrition, each side repeatedly attacked the other until one was completely exhausted and unable to continue
Soldiers were ordered “over the top” to attack enemies
This meant that they had to leave the relative safety of the trenches to face the horror of no man’s land.
This led to many deaths as people were slaughtered by machine guns
These weapons kept either side from advancing, which was the main reason for the stalemate on the Western Front
What were these technological advancements and how did they change battle strategies?

6. Research
Using your phones, look up WWI technological advancements. Take note of what you find, and try to consider how the advancements impacted battle strategies. I will give you about 5 minutes, and then we will discuss what you found.

7. What technological advancements did you find
What technological advancements did you find? How do you think these advancements impacted battle strategies and warfare?

8. Video on Technology and Warfare
Now we are going to watch a short video that explains how technological advancements impacted the war and warfare strategies.
While watching the video, write down 2 points about changes in battle strategies and/ or technology in WWI.
strategy-tactics

9. With a neighbour, discuss the two points you wrote down.

10. WWI Battles Activity
We are now going to do a reading activity on some of the great battles in WWI. You will be responsible for reading 1 of 4 battles, and on your worksheet, you will answer the questions – when did the battle occur? Who won? How many soldiers died? and What role did Canadians play? After that, you will answer one of the short answer questions – What is the significance of your battle to WWI history? Or How did technology and warfare strategy contribute to the battle? I will give you about 15 minutes to work on that, and then we will form groups to teach one another about our battles.

11. Group Discussion
Now, form groups of 4 with a representative for each battle. This means that your groups should consist of a 1, a 2, a 3, and a 4. In your groups, you will share the information about your battle and write down the information your peers gathered. I will give you about 10 minutes, and then we will discuss as a class.

12. Summary
Today we discussed technology and warfare in WWI. We learned about different technological advancements that occurred during the war, saw how these advancements impacted battle strategizing, and became more familiar with some of the great battles.
Tomorrow we will build on this knowledge by looking into the experiences of soldiers at war. We will be meeting in the library computer lab and because we have an assembly, we will meet at 12:45.

13. Passchendaele
Using our expert knowledge, we are now going to do another Passchendaele scene analysis. Again, look for any technology and battle tactics. (3:40) (9:17)