world war 1 writing assignment

Adventures in a Messy Life

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World War 1 writing assignment

February 10, 2017 Ticia 2 Comments

While previous wars had newspapers and political cartoons.  World War 1 is probably the first war to have a newspaper made for just the soldiers (if you know otherwise I’d love to hear it). It was such a novel concept this even became a Horrible History sketch.  Of course, we had to use comics for our World War 1 writing assignments.  It’s a nice bit of cross-curricular history lessons .

(This post contains affiliate links marked with an *)

Our inspiration for our World War 1 writing assignments

Archie’s War Scrapbook * was also our spine for this hands on World War 1 unit.  It is the scrapbook of Archie, a student in England during World War 1.  He humorously illustrates all of the key events in World War 1, and provides commentary from the point of view of a young child.  Like many books of this style, there are random elements that have been “taped” or put in envelopes for you to take out.

I love how the book looks like it’s illustrated by a kid, and the random comments.

I absolutely adore this book, and unlike the other picture books I’ve featured this week, you probably don’t need to pre-read the material.

Brainstorming World War 1 writing assignments

I delivered the news we were going to write daily World War 1 writing assignments, and they got to draw them as comics.  I was thinking I would be met with, “This is awesome! I can’t wait to do it!”  That was not the response I got.

“This is too hard!” “I don’t know what to write about.”

“I don’t like writing about war!  I don’t like war.”

The complaints went on and on.  After I got done rolling my eyes and the kids’ over-the-top responses.  I asked, “Have I ever just left you hanging on a project?”

After a few mumbled “Nos,” we worked together to brainstorm writing topics.  As you can see we eventually came up with quite a few.

We got a bit more inspiration from the Horrible Histories video handing out writing assignments (our original inspiration video has been taken down, so I’m including the official Horrible Histories World War 1 playlist).  Then we might have wasted an hour or so watching their videos.  This reminds me I need to add their videos in to my other World War 1 posts….

End results of our World War 1 writing assignment

After they’d gotten over the shock that I expected them to actually write stuff, they suddenly had great bouts of inspiration, but all along the same lines.  They got around my saying “You can’t all write on the same topic,” by not writing about it on the same day. So I had three different comics on growing a Victory Garden, though I think the Brits called it something different than that during World War 1.  I had three different comics on gathering scrap metal for the war.

But there was also some variety.  Princess went with a crazy Mom character who kept hearing ideas on the radio and going crazy with them.  She built a bomb shelter, she gathered everything under the sun for the scrap metal drive.  She grew crazy amounts of vegetables.  I think she also built a tank.

Batman had a young boy collecting scrap metal who managed to find a spare tank laying around to turn in.  I’m not quite sure how it fit on his wagon, but he brought it in.

Superman had a super fun comic on living in the trenches.

At the end of the week (plus or minus a few days) I gathered all the comics up and bound them together into a book.

I admit I used the photo I created for the World War 1 unit for our cover because I liked the way it looked so much.  Kinda silly, I know, but I like it.

More World War 1 ideas

• Make a World War 1 soldier’s hat
• World War 1 trench warfare
• World War 1 movies

February 18, 2017 at 6:10 pm

What a cool assignment. A’s class did one comic project earlier this year on the subject of rise of civilization. They used https://www.pixton.com/ for kids like A who didn’t want to hand draw theirs.

February 18, 2017 at 10:15 pm

That’s a cool program! My boys weren’t too excited about drawing, but reluctantly did so, and got into it eventually.

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FREE Worksheets and Unit Studies About World War I

Published: July 7, 2020

Contributor: Sarah Shelton

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

World War 1 is known as “The Great War”. It began on July 28, 1914, when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Country after country was pulled into the war, with the United States of America being the last country to join in April 2017. The war ended on November 11, 1918.

It was a trying time, with lots of losses and also new creations and inventions due to the war. Learn more about it with these FREE Worksheets and Unit Studies about World War 1.

This “Great War” was also known as “the war to end all wars”, unfortunately that was not the case. This war included Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. Lots of new military equipment was created for this war, which resulted in over 16 million deaths. 

It can be a confusing war to learn about with so many allies, and powers involved in it.

Your kids can learn more about this war with these free worksheets and unit studies about World War 1:

World War 1 Interactive Notebook Activities – Heather LeBlanc – Brainy Apples TPT

How did World War 1 start? Messy Hands-On History Lesson – Adventures in Mommydom

World War 1 Writing Assignment – Adventures in Mommydom

Printable World War 1 Ambulance Driver Paper Doll  – Paper Thin Personas

World War 1 Alliances Map – School History

United States Enters World War 1 Highschool American History Handout – Student Handouts

World War 1 Lesson Plans, Games and Power Points – Mr. Donn

World War 1 Research and Notebooking Unit  – this research and notebooking unit will provides options for studying battles of WWI including a list of 168 World War I battles and engagements, world maps of the regions where the battles occurred, and multiple notebooking page templates. This is great for middle and high school aged students. 

In this podcast, 7 Amazing World War Heroes , Meredith Curtis introduces you to 7 heroes from World War I that you may never have even heard of. Not only are they amazing people who did extraordinary things, but their faith in Jesus shined through! 

FREE History of Wars Cheat Sheets – these printable cheat sheets are a great reference to help your children learn about the many different wars in history. 

World War I Minibooks and Notebook Pages – Practical Pages

Create Your Own Homeschool History World War 1 Day – Design Your Homeschool

World War 1 Worksheets – History on the Net

Ten Fun Ways to Study World War 1 – Crosswalk

World War 1 Unit Study – Oklahoma Homeschool

Learn about America’s Patriotic Victory Gardens from History.com

Learn about Food Rationing in Wartime America and the creation of the U.S. Food Administration. – History.com

Propaganda Posters:

The United States joined the war later in April of 1917. The government had to convince the Americans to get on board to join this war. They way they did this was through their propaganda posters. They are known to have produced more war propaganda posters that any other nation that was involved in the war!

Sow the Seeds of Victory – Posters from the Food Administration During World War I – National Archives

You can view the collection of approximately 400 Propaganda Posters by clicking on each image at First World War .

The Posters that Sold World War 1 to the American Public – Smithsonian Magazine

Websites to help your kids learn more about World War 1:

World War 1 Documents Archive – Official Papers and documents assembled by volunteers of the WW1 Military History List.

Learn about the different World War 1 Sites and Battlefields from Trip Historic .

Homeschool Lessons has Free Weekly Lessons on World War 1 . There are 5 weekly unit studies with a new lesson to focus on each week. It includes information to learn, videos, worksheets, free downloads and more. These are suitable for grades 3-10.

First World War  is a multimedia history of World War 1. There are timelines, details, battles, war posters, source documents, weaponry and tons of information to explore.

Eyewitness to World War 1 from Eyewitness History has a full timeline of the war. Starting from the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and ending with the Unknown Soldier coming home. 

If your kids enjoy learning about wars they will love these other websites, YouTube channels, movies and hands-on activities:

Wars and Military YouTube Channels for Kids

26 Movies for Kids Based on the Wars and the Military

Hands-On Activities for Studying the World Wars

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• world history

Sarah Shelton

Sarah is a wife, daughter of the King and Mama to 4 children (two homeschool graduates) She is a an eclectic, Charlotte Mason style homeschooler that has been homeschooling for over 20 years.. She is still trying to find the balance between work and keeping a home and gardens. She can only do it by the Grace of God, coffee and green juice

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165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples

Looking for good World War 1 topics to write about? This area of study is exciting, controversial, and worth analysing!

• 🔝 Top 10 WW1 Topics to Write about
• 📝 WW1 Essay: How to Write
• 🏆 Best WW1 Essay Topics & Examples

💡 Good Essay Topics on WW1

• 🔎 Interesting Topics to Write about WW1
• ⭐ WW1 Research Topics
• 📃 Simple & Easy WW1 Essay Titles
• ❓ WW1 Essay Questions

In your WW1 essay, you might want to focus on the causes of the conflict, its participants, or answer the question of who started the First World War. In this article, we’ve gathered 139 WW1 ideas that you can use in any project, presentation, or even debate. There are also great World War 1 essay examples to inspire you even more.

🔝 Top 10 World War 1 Topics to Write about

• Causes of World War I
• Political and military alliances before the WWI
• Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand as the starting point of WW1
• Naval warfare of World War I
• Ottoman Empire in World War 1
• The role of technology in World War 1
• The use of chemical weapons in WWI
• The most cruel war crimes of WW1
• Armenian genocide as a part of World War 1
• The effects and consequences of WW1

📝 World War 1 Essay: How to Write

With over 60 million people mobilized and involving countries all around the world, any World War 1 Essay is bound to touch upon a wide variety of topics.

The mechanics behind the start of the war, its process, and results all interconnect, which may make the subject seem hard to understand and harder to outline.

However, navigating your way around World War 1 essay questions is only a matter of taking note of a few cornerstone historical processes.

Before You Start Your Outline

Do some research on your assigned issue. The more books and journals you peruse, the more aware of your subject you will be. You will not use all of them, but you will form an understanding of which titles your essay needs.

As you continue your research, start compiling your bibliography, which will be the backbone of your essay’s credibility. World War 1 is a highly historiographical event, and you will be sure to find a wide variety of literature on it on the internet.

Write down some essential terms and think about how they relate to your essay. Imperialism, nationalism, the Versailles treaty are good starter examples of omnipresent processes and results of World War 1. Doing so may help you give your essay a new, previously explored perspective.

Structuring your Thoughts into an Essay Outline

After you have finished with your sources and key terms, think about how you can split your main theme into subtopics.

Even if your essay is a single page, doing so will allow you to divide your ideas evenly between paragraphs. If it is on the longer side, think about including subheadings in your work.

This action gives your essay a more rigid structure that is easy to read. Additionally, now is the time to think about your essay’s title. World War 1 essay titles should reflect your stance as the writer and hint at the conclusion that you will draw.

You may feel like your outlined subheadings are overlapping, making your essay seem messy. In this case, find and read a World War 1 essay sample. Plagiarism is a severe academic offense, but getting inspired by someone else’s work, while giving credit, is not.

Beginning to Write

You should try to start your essay with something that attracts the attention of your readers. This World War 1 essay hook can be a fact or an intriguing explanation of a process central to your topic. Then, in this paragraph:

• Give your readers a brief overview of the events that are relevant to your essay;
• Hint at your intent, explain your methods and make your point of view clear;
• Make sure your readers are aware of what problems you will touch upon;
• Create a working thesis statement that will be your guideline throughout your work.

Each paragraph you include should link back to your thesis statement. Always be sure to ask yourself when writing:

• Does this further my argument?
• Can my facts be used against me? How can I fix that?
• Is there a different perspective on this issue?
• Could I remove this without hurting the quality of my essay?
• Is my structure reflective of the problem it is covering? What can I do better?

Remember that a good structure reflects the amount of effort you put into your work. Need a sample to get inspired? Head over to IvyPanda!

🏆 Best World War 1 Essay Topics & Examples

• Positive and Negative Effects of WW1 on Canada: Essay Nonetheless, the war led to great negative impacts such as loss of lives, economic downtrend, and the generation of tensions involving the Francophones and Anglophones who disagreed after the emergence of the notion of conscription.
• First World War: Causes and Effects This later led to the entry of countries allied to Serbia into the war so as to protect their partners. In conclusion, the First World War led to the loss of many lives.
• Effects of the Industrial Revolution in Relation to World War I During the last period of the 19th century all the way to the early 20th century, Europe and America experienced revolutions in communication, transportation and weapons which were very crucial particularly in the manner in […]
• American Dream After World War I People lost vision of what this dream was supposed to mean and it became a dream, not of the vestal and industrious, but of the corrupt coterie, hence corrupting the dream itself.
• Total War of World War I The paper will demonstrate that the First World War was a total war since it bore most the hallmark characteristics of the total war including unlimited warfare, prioritization of armament efforts, involvement of the civilian […]
• World War I Technology Although the question of the origins of the Great War is highly debated, and although this war is considered by many as the beginning of a new stage in history and the real starting point […]
• Ernest Hemingway’s Personality and His Reflections on WWI The events of World War I and Hemmingway’s personal experiences seemed to have an impact on his writings as he sought to establish himself alongside great writers in the Lost Generation, thus portraying his sensitivity.
• Federal Government Expansion During World War I The period between 1914 and 1918 was marked by the increased role of the federal government in the United States and the dramatic expansion of its bureaucracies.
• The Causes and Effects of World War I To this end, the Commission on the Responsibility of the Authors of the War and the Enforcement of Penalties met in Paris in 1919. It is impossible to name a single reason for the initiation […]
• The Second Battlefield: Women, Modernism, and the First World War The first theme is the connection of writings of women on the subject of the First World War and the modernism theoretical constructs.
• World War 1 Origins (How and Why the War Started) William Anthony Hay claims that according to McMeekin, a tutor of international relations, “The war’s real catalyst lay in Russia’s ambition to supplant the waning Ottoman Empire in the Near East and to control the […]
• Causes of WWI and WWII: Comparing and Contrasting In the following paper, Kenneth Waltz’s levels of analysis will be used for the comparison and contrast of causes of WWI and WWII. The second similarity refers to the distribution of power and the division […]
• Anti-War Movement DADA Vs. Propaganda Posters of WWI In relation to the causes of the WWI, these can considered as pertinent specifically on the basis that the reasons can be related to the type of society that is present during the said era.
• Eastman Kodak Company and Fujifilm The Eastman Kodak Company has been focusing on photography and has currently added the use of technology in combining images and information in order to alter the ways through which businesses and people communicate.
• The Progressive Era and World War I To achieve the intended goals, many progressives began by exposing the major evils and challenges that were affecting the United States towards the end of the 19th century.
• The Aftermath of World War I for Germany In spite of the fact that Germany was one of the most powerful European states before the war’s start in 1914, World War I led to the political, economic, and social decline in the country […]
• The Progressive Movement and the American Entry Into World War I The motivations of the progressive movement were complex and varied, but they all sought to improve the lives of the people of the United States.
• World War I as the Catastrophe of the 20th Century There were increased cataclysms in Europe over time; for instance, the war laid a foundation for the rise of Hitler and increased the influence of the Nazism ideology.
• World War I: American Policy of Neutrality Even though the people of America were shocked and firmly against involvement in the war, the US president thought of the crisis as a turning point that could significantly change America’s place in the world.
• Economic Causes of World War I As of 1860, the American South was generating 75% of the world’s cotton due to the institution of slavery on the part of its wealthy farmers.
• The Role of Canada in World War I The beginning of the war was marked by great losses in the field and in the economy of the state. By the war’s end, Canada had shown itself as a great power, which allowed the […]
• America’s Progressive Era and World War I This paper will outline the events leading to America’s entrance into the war, the obstacles faced by the U.S.military, and the role of American women and minorities.
• Aboriginal Soldiers in the World War I and II Additionally, the paper will argue that the role and experiences of Aboriginal soldiers and the manner in which they have been overshadowed by other significant events in Australian history.
• The Entry of the United States Into World War I The United States is believed to have entered the war after sinking the American liner Lusitania by a German submarine in 1915. Due to the competent actions of President W.
• Role the United States of America in the World War I The main result of the battle was the victory of the Entente and the collapse of the four largest empires: the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and German.
• Impact of World War I on the American Army Some of the major strategies include the use of airplanes in the field of battle, employing armored vehicles, and electronic communication.
• America’s Involvement in World War I The issues that led to America’s involvement in this were the German’s resumption of unexpected submarine attacks and the Zimmerman telegram.
• The United States Priorities Following World War I Gentile, Linick, and Shurkin single out four important periods in the evolution of the US army: Constitutional moorings and the 19th century, the Spanish-American War to Total War, and the Korean War to Total Force […]
• Biggest Influence on the US Involvement in World War I Although a combination of factors including trade alliances and the interception of the Zimmerman note encouraged the decision to join the fray, Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare was the biggest reason for the US involvement.
• Nationalism in Europe Before WWI This movement was the result of effective propaganda and an aggressive policy aimed at the redistribution of territories and the seizure of power.
• Factors Leading to the Termination of World War I However, the deliberate humiliation of the German leadership at the hand of the Allied forces perpetrated through the signing of the “war guilt clause” indicates that the reason for the Allied forces was not solely […]
• World War I Causes by Ethnic Problems in Austro-Hungary The presence of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne in the said maneuvers was the perfect opportunity. After the capture of Gavrilo Princip it was time for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to react and teach the […]
• World War I: Medias of Propaganda in the U.S. Posters of World War 1 presented a different style of propaganda because of the war time effort of U S government.
• America Changes After World War I Among the various changes underwent by America during their recovery period in the 1920s were changes in culture, economy as well as in the workforce.
• America in World War I One of the events that led America into the First World War was when a liner belonging to the British was sunk by the U-boat belonging to Germans.
• The Nature of the Fighting in World War I and World War II So, the results of this war were awful, but still, speaking about the losses of the World War II, it can be said, that it was the bloodiest conflict in human history. The most obvious […]
• Treaty of Versailles History: The Pact of Peace After WWI The differences among the winners of the war, later on, led to the emergence of more conflicts simply because Germany was not fully weakened; it is believed that the conflicts between these nations were the […]
• The Wars Between 1815 and WWI in Europe Tsar Nicholas moved into Moldavia and Wallachia and secret accords with the Austrian and British governments for the disposition of the Ottoman empire were formulated in 1844 in London.
• World War I Within the Context of Military Revolution The main peculiarity of the World War I is the advent of the so-called “three-dimensional conflict”, which means that the combat is held also in the air.
• Life Before World War I and Life of Soldiers in Trenches The future of these Habsburg domains, assembled over the centuries by marriage, purchase and conquest, was the subject of endless coffee-table speculation, but the subsequent demise of the monarchy should not necessarily encourage the notion […]
• Great Depression of Canada and Conscription During World War I in Canada Due to the depression in the United States, the people across the border were not able to buy the wheat produced and cultivated in Canada and as a result, the exports declined.
• Leadership in the World War I Environment Military leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction, and motivation and the basic responsibilities of a leader are the accomplishments of the mission and the welfare of […]
• World War 1 and Technological Improvement The was sparked by the assassination of the Heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip on June 28th, 1914.
• The Battle of Verdun: World War One The choice of Verdun as the center of interest by the Germans was not very effective because the French men lost faith in the fortresses and the need to defend them.
• Imperialist Global Order After World War I Thus, the general trend of the after-war years was the dismantling of multiethnic empires and the establishment of new nation-states. However, World War I also created new challenges to the existing hierarchies of wealth and […]
• Soccer Influence on Sociopolitical Aspects of WWI During this period, many footballers and athletes were tempted or encouraged to join the militaries of their respective countries and become part of the ongoing war.
• Idealist Philosophy After World War I Although I disagree with the philosophy of idealism, it is a fact that it managed to create a better world following the events of World War I.
• World War I and Its Outbreak Causes Some of the events that influenced the eruption of World War I include the Franco-Prussian war, the Moroccan crisis, the Balkan wars, and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from Austria.
• World War I and Battle of Vimy Ridge for Canadians If the authors of the required readings gathered for a discussion of the First World War and Vimy Ridge, they would be likely to agree and disagree with one another on some points.
• Aftermath of the WWI The source concludes that the provisions of the treaty were unfavorable to the government and the people of Germany, something that forced the country’s leaders to respond with militarization of the state.
• Trucial States’ History From World War I to the 1960s During the decline of the pearling industry, the British were highly vigilant to sustain the existing regional trend of alienation amongst leaders and the people.
• World War I and Its Aftermath In 1930, Hitler’s ambitions and the rise of Nazism was boosted by president’s declaration that the state was to be ruled autocratically.
• American Experiences in World War I: Radio Broadcast There was a heated debate in the American society concerning the county’s involvement in the Great War, and President Wilson was heavily criticized not only for the fact of entering the war but also for […]
• World War I and the 1920s In this case, American citizens went from industry workers and soldiers during the World War I to the explorers, who discover different forms of entertainment in the 1920s because of stabilization of the politics in […]
• World War I, Its Origin and Allies Many researchers consider the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in June 1914 in Sarajevo to be the reason for the start of World War I.
• World War I for Americans: Before and After It is important to say that lower classes had to deal with the biggest number of issues, and they have suffered the most.

🔎 Interesting Topics to Write about World War 1

• France Before World War I and After World War II To overcome the negative consequences of the Franco-Prussian War, France needed to focus on new perspectives for the state’s economic and political development, and such an approach could provide the state with the necessary resources […]
• Pozieres Battle in World War I on Western Front The battle for the village of Pozieres was one of the deadliest and most remarkable for the Australian troops which took part in the First World War.
• Life of Soldiers During the World War I In this paper, we are going to discuss how the World War I affected live of people and what was the life of soldiers and civilians serving and living on the frontlines.
• Native Americans Role in World War I Most of the students who went to schools away from the reserves came to the realization that they were, ‘first Americans and then indians second.’3 The schools also taught patriotic songs as well as observation […]
• American History From Reconstruction to World War I However, despite the popular opinion of the individual initiative of the first settlers, the federal government played a great role in facilitating the settlement of the West.
• America & World War I The three years have been used to argue that the US was unwilling to enter the war; that the US was neutral as Woodrow Wilson had declared.
• From World War One to Globalization Even though the First World War shook Europe to the core, the combination of the first and the Second World War created a three world order, modeled along three rival political affiliations.
• How the Federal Bureaucracy Expanded During WWI? The role of the bureaucracy was expansive during the war since the state was expected to provide many services to the citizens, something that led to the formulation of stronger rules and regulations to guide […]
• The Expansion of Federal Bureaucracy During WWI With these, a number of government agencies were created during the WWI particularly when it emerged that there was a need to regulate or control industrial sector as well as the call for the US […]
• Role of Civilian Population in World War I Not only did the war encouraged people to join their forces in order to fight the enemy, but also affected their perception of the state’s key political processes raising political engagement rates among population, WWI […]
• WWI: Germany’s Secret Gambles The “interception of the German arms shipment by the Royal Navy” led to the quick suppression of the Eastern uprising and execution of key leaders of the Irish Republicans.
• The Book “The First World War” by John Keegan However, the emergence of the bill of the right to people’s life across the globe is owed to the occurrence of the First and the Second World War.
• Watching the World Fall Apart: A Post-WWI Vision of the World in the Works of Otto Dix, Max Beckmann and George Grosz While it is quite understandable that at the current stage of the development of humankind, some conflicts still have to be resolved with the use of coercive methods, war as a massive homicide still remains […]
• First World War and Germany In particular, the author is more concerned with giving the effects of the war on the German people, unlike other authors who generalize the effects of the war.
• Ernist Junger’s World War I Experiences When the Storm of Steel was published, it became a favorite in Germany since it adored the greatness of war and the huge sacrifices made by the Germany warriors to end the war victoriously.
• World War I Technological Advancements World War I saw the application of several new technologies to the battlefield, the most important being that of the internal combustion engine, which permitted the development of the first successful mechanized armored fighting vehicles1.
• The First World War and the Russian Revolution Scholars argue that Russia’s involvement in the First World War and the economic consequences are the primary causes of the revolution.
• Effects of World War I on the Development of Modern Art For the artists and most of the people in Europe, the time that preceded the World War I, the actual war period and the aftermath of the was presented a period of profound disillusionment 13.
• United States and World War I The paper further gives an in-depth analysis of how the Germans waged war against the European countries and the circumstances that forced the United States to abandon its neutrality to take part in the Great […]
• WWI-War: Revolution, and Reconstruction In as much as soldiers and civilians garnered experience during WWI, it is imperative to acknowledge that the unsuitable environment at the forefront led to deterioration of health standards; furthermore, civilians were forced to live […]
• The Causes of the First World War In his description of the war, it is clear that Europe played a key role towards the formation of the war alliances.
• The Role of Airplanes During World War I (1914-1918) The government further formed a consultative ‘Aircraft Production Board’ that was made up of members of the Army, Navy, as well as the sector to assess the Europeans’ fortunes in aircraft sector in a bid […]
• The World War I The war brought to the fore various issues which had been in the air in the end of the nineteenth century and in the beginning of the twentieth century.
• Importance of Accountability: World War I It is clear from the beginning of this article, that the statistics on the World War I causalities indicates that the Germans suffered fewer casualties compared to their western counterparts, who are the French and […]
• Events Leading Up to WWI This move also contributed to the start of the conflict and eventually to the war. This decision was vehemently opposed by the Slavs, which saw Russia come to the aid of Serbia while on the […]
• America and Democracy, at Home and Abroad, During and Just After the First World War Democracy is a kind of regime in which all eligible citizens are allowed to contribute to the decisions of the state.
• Causes and Consequences of World War 1 In social and economic cycles, the interaction of the whites and Blacks was controlled by the laws that neither of the groups was allowed to cross the other party’s path.
• Changes in the Middle East After the World War I The involvement in the war by the countries from the Middle East not only led to loss of power but also spurred the economic decline and created social problems.

⭐ World War 1 Research Topics

• Industrialization and Competition for Resources Which Led to the First World War
• Factors That Made the First World War Unique
• Identify and Evaluate Two Main Themes That Have Defined Management Thought Since the End of the First World War.
• The Events and Results of the First World War I
• Terrible Beauty: Music and Writing of the First World War
• Liberal Democracy and Capitalism After World War 1
• European Politics and the Impact of French Foreign Policy Before the First World War
• Chemical Warfare During the First World War
• The First World War and Russian Revolution
• European Diplomacy and the First World War
• With What Justification Can World War 1 Be Called a Total War
• The Catalyst for the First World War
• The Reasons for the Economic Prosperity in America After the First World War
• Events Leading for the First World War
• Imperialistic Rivalries and the Road to the First World War
• Shaping the American Dream, Defining Success From the First World War to Present
• Austro-Serbian Relations Provoked the First World War
• America and the First World War
• The Purpose and Intent of the League of Nations After the First World War
• The First World War Impact on Australian Economy
• The Long Term and Short Term Causes of World War 1

📃 Simple & Easy World War 1 Essay Titles

• European Goods Market Integration in the Very Long Run: From the Black Death to the First World War
• The Reasons for the American Support for the Involvement in the First World War
• Military Technology During the First World War
• German Foreign Policy and the Impact of Nationalism on It Before the First World War
• The American Foreign Policy After the First World War
• The Economic, Social, and Political Impact of the First World War on Eur
• Technological Advancements During the First World War
• The World Before the First World War According to Barbara Tuchman
• The Effects That the First World War Had on Many People
• The Effective Weapons Used in the First World War
• Women’s Work During the First World War
• Diplomatic Crises: The First World War and the Cuban Missile Crisis
• The First World War Changed the Way People Thought About War and Patriotism
• Gender Roles During the First World War
• The Reasons for the Outbreak of the First World War
• Australia’s Economic and Military Contribution in the First World War
• The First World War: A New Era of Military Conflict
• German Propaganda During the First World War
• Analyzing Propaganda During World War 1
• Britain During the First World War and the Social and Welfare Reforms

❓ World War 1 Essay Questions

• How Important Was the Entry of the U.S. Into the First World War?
• Was the First World War a Total War?
• What Effect Did the First World War Have on Germany?
• How Significant Was the First World War?
• In What Ways Were People’s Lives at Home Affected by the First World War?
• The Russian Revolution Us a Direct Result of the First World War
• How Did Medical Care Change During the First World War?
• How the First World War Created Modern America?
• Was the First World War the Cause of the February Revolution in Russia?
• Was the First World War Inevitable?
• How Did the First World War Change the Role of Women?
• How Industrialization Powered the First World War?
• Why Did the First World War Last So Long?
• How Far Was the First World War Responsible for the Growth of the Labour Party and the Decline of the Liberal Party?
• Why Did the United States Entry Into World War 1?
• How Did the United States Prepare to Fight for the First World War?
• How Did the First World War Set the Global Stage for the Second World War?
• Why Did World War 1 End So Quickly After the Years of Stalemate?
• Why Did the First World War End When It Did?
• How Did the First World War Affect Britain Society?
• How Did Women Affected World War 1?
• How Did Imperialism Cause World War 1?
• How the First World War Impacted the Homefronts of Participating Nations?
• Was the Alliance System the Main Cause of the First World War?
• How Did the Middle East Change as a Result of World War 1?
• Why Did the Ottomans Enter the First World War?
• Why Did Germany Lose the First World War?
• What Was the Most Important Cause of the First World War?
• How Did the Allies Win World War 1?
• Why Did Some Men Oppose Women’s Employment in the Industry During the First World War?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/world-war-1-essay-examples/

"165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples." IvyPanda , 2 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/world-war-1-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples'. 2 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/world-war-1-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/world-war-1-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "165 World War 1 Topics for Essays with Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/world-war-1-essay-examples/.

• Russian Revolution Paper Topics
• World War 2 Essay Topics
• Cold War Topics
• European History Essay Titles
• Civil War Titles
• US History Topics
• Iraq War Research Ideas
• Vietnam War Paper Topics
• American Revolution Topics
• Cuban Revolution Ideas
• Afghanistan War Essay Topics
• French Revolution Paper Topics
• Modern History Topics
• Revolutionary War Essay Ideas

Sharing teaching and learning resources from the National Archives

Education Updates

Primary Sources & Teaching Activities for World War I

You can find primary sources and online teaching activities for World War I on our DocsTeach World War I page .

Find primary sources for topics such as:

• New weapons like airplanes , trench warfare , machine guns , submarines , and tanks
• Women in WWI
• WWI Posters
• The Homefront
• Espionage, sedition, and spying
• Armistice, the Treaty of Versailles, and the end of the war
• The Harlem Hellfighters
• The 1918 Flu Pandemic

See WWI draft cards for personalities like Babe Ruth, Al Capone, Charles Hamilton Houston, and Ty Cobb. Students can use Babe Ruth’s Draft Card to identify differences between WWI America and today in the activity WWI America: Babe Ruth’s Draft Card .

Check out World War I posters to discuss propaganda techniques, food conservation, liberty loans, victory gardens, and recruiting with your students. You can also access poster-based teaching activities .

Students can practice “Decoding an Intercepted Message” in the activity The Zimmermann Telegram to learn about this important document and turning point in the war. They analyze the telegram and make an assessment about whether the United States should have entered WWI based on the telegram’s information and implications.

Other teaching activities on the DocsTeach World War I page include:

• Americans on the Homefront Helped Win World War I
• New Technology in World War I
• Comparing WWI Food Conservation Posters
• Artists Document World War I
• WWI Propaganda and Art
• Baseball on the World War I Homefront
• Baseball: A Morale Booster During Wartime?

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Letters from the First World War, part one

How did these men experience the conflict (1915), teachers' notes, introduction, external links.

About this classroom resource

Download documents and transcripts

There are 32 letters and 16 photographs in this resource. All letters have been transcribed, and selected letters have an audio version too. The documents should offer students a chance to develop their powers of evaluation and analysis. Teachers may also wish to use the collection to develop their own resources.

You may spot spelling or grammatical errors in the transcripts as we have transcribed the letters as they stand. Unusual or technical terms have been defined within the text. However, we have not included full images for several letters as these would have proved too difficult to read online. In such cases we have shown part of the letter in order to provide a sense of the original.

Across the online resources Letters from the First World War, part one (1915) and Letters from the First World War, part two (1916-1918)   it is possible to find more than one letter from the same person, or find references within the letters to those who have written. For this reason is it is helpful to see the letters as a whole group to get the most out of them and appreciate the nature of the collection.

Letters from the First World War, part one (1915) is based on the first half of the RAIL record. We have labelled each letter according to a theme from the First World War. For example, some letter writers have detailed their experience of the trenches, injury, or active service in the Dardanelles and India or training prior going abroad. Others have touched on the technology of war, the movement of troops or conditions at the railheads in France. There are three accompanying PDFs, each containing a collection of letters on the themes of the  Dardanelles , training and the trenches .

Railheads were the nearest points to the front from which men and supplies travelled by train and were then taken to the battle line by motor vehicle or horse. The Great Western Railway Company formed four companies of Royal Engineers as many men from the company, including these clerical workers from Paddington, had enlisted to serve. Due to their knowledge and understanding of the railways, many became Railway Troops based at railheads.

Unsurprisingly, in the letters many men showed a keen interest in all matters connected with railways or engines, other Great Western Railway ‘fellows’ and the Great Western Railway Magazine. Some soldiers mentioned having received the magazine or asked for it to be sent out. It included photographs of all those who served in the First World War from the GWR as a whole and employees could catch up on company business and news of sporting or social events.

How to use this resource

• Discuss any of the suggested questions below on a group/individual basis.
• Assign groups of letters on a given theme to groups/individuals in order to explore and interpret.
• Students could curate their own exhibition on the letters based on a theme/question of their choice using additional original material/secondary sources.
• Carry out research on the life of an individual soldier. Our  research guide  can help get you started.
• Use this resource in conjunction with our second online resource including letters from the later war period  Letters from the First World War, part two (1916-1918)  to consider further themes and ideas.
• Student work could be presented via various media for example Powerpoint Presentation, video film, radio documentary, newspaper article, role play interview, poster, blog, web page or classroom exhibition.

Suggested questions:

• How does their experience of the First World War vary among these letter writers?
• What training was carried out before they were sent to fight?
• How did the men feel about their experience of training?
• What can be found out about tactics/weapons/equipment used in combat?
• Do you get a sense of what these soldiers miss from home? Is this unsurprising/shocking?
• Describe conditions for those in the trenches on Western Front.
• What were conditions like for those who were sent to the Dardanelles?
• Can you get a sense of the experience of those who fought in Greece, India or Egypt, East Africa?
• How was the treatment of the sick or injured organized at home and abroad?
• Is there evidence of what the men thought of those whom they fought/or of their comrades?
• Do any soldiers give their opinion about the war?
• Do you think these men are typical of those who went to war?
• Can we find out anything about the characters of the men who fought from these letters?
• Have you found anybody who has written more than once, or spot any links between the letters which highlight particular friendships?
• Considering who the soldiers are writing to, can you explain if this has influenced the tone or style of the letters? Give examples.
• Is it clear if any details have been left out/put in for particular reasons?
• Can you discover a difference between what is being said and how it is being said in any of the letters?
• Which letters have you found the most interesting/funny/moving to read?

Working with written documents

For help on how to work with the letters you could take a look at the  student section  of our website where you can also find a brief guide on working with records.

You could also use the  Start here  section of our website  The Victorians  as an introduction on how to work with the sources, although all the examples in the site relate to the Victorian era.

Working with images

When studying the photographs and postcards in the collection, it is helpful to explore the idea that they were produced to provide a particular message. Pupils ought to consider the purpose and audience for which these sources were intended.

Thus for photographs it is useful to look at key aspects of their composition such as lighting, pose, background, foreground, formality, lack of formality and so on and evaluate the original caption if given. A further group of images from this National Archives record can be viewed on our Flickr board  First World War letters .

Connections to the curriculum

• Key stage 3: Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day.
• Key stage 4: History B Modern World OCR: Depth Study The causes & Events of the First World War.
• Key stage 4: History (A) Edexcel: The Making of the Modern World: Unit 1 Peace and War International Relations 1900-1991. Teachers could use these letters to support contextual study.
• Key stage 5: A/AS Level English Literature courses with options to study the ‘War Poets’. Teachers could use these letters to support contextual study.

‘ Well old chap, I am glad I am wounded to get out of that hell, and if you ever meet a chap that says he wants to go back call him a liar ’

These few words written by Albert Edwin Rippington, from a hospital in England, come from this collection of letters from staff at the Audit office for the Great Western Railway (GWR) based at Paddington, London, who had enlisted to fight in the First World War.

What makes this collection of soldiers’ letters so different from all others is the fact that it reveals the stories of a particular group of men who varied in class and education, who were writing back to their colleagues and bosses in the office while on active service during in the First World War. Many men enlisted from the GWR to fight, but these letters come exclusively from those worked at its Audit office. Staff at Paddington covered a range of different roles in insurance, accounting or ticketing for the Great Western Railway.

The letters (catalogue reference  RAIL 253/516 ) belong to the RAIL series (which includes the records of the railway companies) at The National Archives. They are arranged in 12 carefully bound folders, rather like a series of scrapbooks. Starting from August 1915, each part represented what was known as the office newsletter, a collection of letters, photographs postcards, field cards and contemporary newspaper cuttings from those who had gone to fight.

Every newsletter opened with a news section listing those who had written and sent photos to the office and those who recently left to company to serve at the front. The totals of all men in khaki from the Audit office were given too. The news section also provided information about those who had died, been injured, visited the office on leave or been promoted.

The newsletters were circulated within the office departments and read by men when they came home on leave. Friends or relatives who had been sent their own letters or photographs often lent them or typed them out to be circulated as part of the regular Audit office newsletter.

The Audit office raised enough money through collections and the sale of Christmas cards, to create a temporary roll of honour for the office at Paddington to commemorate those who had fallen in battle by August 1915. Photographs of the Roll of Honour were sent out to several employees as their correspondence reveals.

After the war had ended and troops had returned, the GWR was able to quantify the contribution that it had made to the cause. The contribution made by the Audit office was high: 55.5% of male staff enlisted, whereas the average rate of enlistment across the GWR was 32.6%. This amounted to 184 men, 17 of whom lost their lives.

On 11   November 1922, The Great Western Railway War Memorial, dedicated to all 2,524 staff who had died in battle was unveiled on platform 1, Paddington station.

The First World War Digital Poetry Archive includes primary material from major poets Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Robert Graves, Vera Brittain, and Edward Thomas.

The National Archives Teaching the First World War , highlights The National Archives and other resources from the web.

The ‘ A Street Near You ‘ project maps individual soldiers’ records to their homes, globally, allowing us to see who served in the war on a local level.

Related resources

These are all aimed primarily at KS3 and KS4 students.

Letters from the First World War, part two (1916- 18)  Part two of this online resource, which covers the later period of the war.

Great War soldier’s record  is a lesson for use in the classroom.

Great War 1914- 1918 website on the themes of outbreak, experience, peacemaking and remembrance.

All Pals Together . National Archives video conference session.

Soldiers practice stretcher and bandage drill

Somme tales, great war 1914-1918, great war soldier’s record, letters from the first world war, part two, medicine on the western front (part one), medicine on the western front (part two).

• UNC Libraries
• Course Guides
• English 105 Online Curriculum Module: Rhetoric of American World War I Posters

English 105 Online Curriculum Module: Rhetoric of American World War I Posters: Home

Unit project, lesson context.

The Rhetoric of American World War I Propaganda Posters unit sequence uses primary sources to introduce students to the basics of rhetorical and visual analysis, multimodal composition, and scholarly research and writing. The unit begins with students exploring “ North Carolinians and the Great War ,” the library’s digital collection of World War I posters. In the first feeder assignment, students complete a visual analysis worksheet and analyze the rhetoric and imagery of two posters from the collection. Students can also watch "Analyzing World War I Posters,"  a short video introduction to visual analysis and the history of World War I posters. In the second feeder assignment, students expand their rhetorical analysis by conducting additional secondary source research about one of the posters. Finally, in the unit project, students write an analysis of their poster and share their findings with the class in a five-minute conference presentation.

• Unit Summary - Printable PDF

Unit Summary

​ assignments.

You have been selected to present at a World War I conference. Your research begins with the library’s online collection of the many American propaganda posters created during World War I to recruit soldiers and build national pride. This digital collection, “North Carolinians and the Great War,” focuses specifically on posters that would have been widely distributed in North Carolina to help bolster war efforts in the state. In this unit, you will select one poster to study, analyze, research, and write about. You deliverables include a brief visual presentation about your poster and an essay. As a rhetorician, your goal is to analyze the rhetorical strategies the artist used to create an effective propaganda poster. You should consider include how the artist used images, color, text, and design elements to convey messages related to World War I. Additionally, you should explore the historical context of your poster and how it might have influenced North Carolinians who participated in the war efforts.

Learning Objectives

By working on the feeder assignments and unit project, you will develop the following skills:

identify how rhetorical strategies are deployed in both visual and textual formats;

conduct secondary source research;

place propaganda rhetoric in its historical context; and

synthesize complex research findings in a compelling oral presentation and written assignment.

North Carolinians and the Great War​

World War I propaganda posters are available from Documenting the American South (DocSouth). The goal of the poster collection is to “[examine] how World War I shaped the lives of different North Carolinians on the battlefield and on the home front as well how the state and federal government responded to war-time demands."

• Video: Analyzing World War I Posters This video provides a guide to visual analysis an examples of how to apply analytical questions to WWI posters within their historical context.
• World War I Posters Worksheet This worksheet accompanies the video "Analyzing World War I Posters."
• An introduction to the collection This introduction to the poster collection places the posters in historical context and describes the collection.
• Propaganda posters organized by theme All of the posters are accessible here and organized by topic.

In Feeder One, students will begin by exploring the online collection of American World War I propaganda posters to get a sense of the range and types of posters that were made. Either as an in-class activity or as a homework assignment, students should select a poster they find interesting and analyze it more closely by completing the Visual Analysis Worksheet . 

Once students have practiced their visual analysis skills, they can move on to the second part of the feeder assignment. First, they should select and download two posters they are interested in writing about for their final projects. Next, they should write a short paragraph about each poster that includes the following information:

• their reasons for selecting the poster, such as its color, shape, subject matter, artistic appeal, etc.;
• the message (or messages) they believe the poster was expressing; and
• the historical audience (or audiences) they believe the poster and message were trying to reach. 

Instructional Materials

• Visual Analysis Worksheet - Printable PDF

For Feeder Two, Background Research and Preliminary Analysis , students will choose one poster and examine it from multiple critical vantage points. First, in the research phase of the assignment, students will search for secondary and primary sources that answer key questions about their posters. Their driving goal as researchers in this assignment will be to learn more about the historical and cultural context in which their posters were created and disseminated.

Next, in the rhetorical analysis phase of the assignment, students will use the information they have gained and their own visual and textual analysis skills to draw conclusions about their posters. They will consider questions about the intended audience and purpose of their posters, as well as considering how persuasive techniques are deployed to connect with that audience and achieve that particular purpose.

• Background Research and Preliminary Analysis - Printable PDF

Possible Expansion: Visit the Undergraduate Library

Request an information literacy instruction session taught by librarians at the Robert B. House Undergraduate Library (UL). In this session, librarians can help connect students with library resources and search strategies to support their background research on their posters. Potential topics may include formulating keywords, searching in databases, evaluating print and online sources, citation, and other information literacy concepts.

For the Unit Project, an Essay and Conference Presentation , students will build on their prior research and thinking from Feeders One and Two by connecting their historical research with their rhetorical analysis. They will consider how the historical events and cultural norms of the time contributed to the visual and textual rhetorical strategies being used in the poster.

Playing the role of participants in a special session at the World War I conference, students will deliver a brief in-class presentation about the propaganda strategies used in their posters. They will also contribute an accompanying essay about their poster to the special issue of a journal published in conjunction with the conference. 

• Essay and Conference Presentation - Printable PDF

Additional Resources

These resources may supplement the instructional materials provided above:

Presentations

• Design Guide: Presentation Slides (UL)
• Presentation Planning Worksheet (UL Design Guide)
• Powerpoint and Google Slides Templates (Slides Carnival)

Public Speaking

• Tips and Tools Handout: Speeches (UNC Writing Center)
• Public Speaking Foundations (Lynda.com Tutorial)

Michael Keenan Gutierrez

Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature

Emily Kader

Rare Book Research Librarian, Wilson Special Collections Library

Cait Kennedy

Carolina Academic Library Associate

Ashley Werlinich

Graduate Research Assistant, Wilson Special Collections Library; Ph.D. Student and Teaching Fellow, Department of English and Comparative Literature​

Discipline Areas

This online curriculum module is designed for use in the humanities unit of English 105; however, it could also be adapted for English 105i: Writing in the Humanities or Writing in the Digital Humanities. 

English 105 Requirements

This unit sequence meets the following English 105 requirements:

• Digital Literacy;
• Information Literacy;
• Multimodal Composition; 
• Oral Presentation;
• Primary Source Literacy; and
• Visual Literacy.

Possible Adaptations

This unit sequence could be adapted to use a variety of other special collections materials, depending on your research interests, desired learning outcomes, and other instructional goals.  Contact the Special Collections to discuss other possible adaptations.

Instruction

Schedule an instruction session.

If you would like your class to visit Wilson Special Collections Library,  request a special collections instruction session .

Teach with the Rare Book Collection

If you have questions about teaching with primary sources, contact Emily Kader .

Visit the Special Collections Research Room  or contact the special collections .

Share Your Feedback

Instructor check-in.

Let us know when and how you're using materials from the Rhetoric of American World War I Posters online curriculum module by  filling out this brief survey !

Instructor Survey

Do you have ideas for how this content could be expanded or improved? Share your feedback and ideas by filling out this survey .

Student Survey

Ask your students to share their experiences with the Rhetoric of American World War I Posters online curriculum module by completing this survey .

Start a Conversation

To start a conversation about how future online curriculum modules can support your English 105 instruction, contact Jason Tomberlin , Head of Research and Instructional Services.

• Last Updated: May 6, 2022 1:53 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/world-war-one-posters

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Captain Truman's World War I Letters

Students will read letters written by Capt. Harry S. Truman from France to his fiancée Bess Wallace and his cousins Mary Ethel and Nellie Noland and compare them to accounts of the experiences of his division (35th) during WWI.

Students will gain experience in working with primary sources, in deductive reasoning, and in writing analytical essays.

• Be able to describe a primary source.
• Compare and contrast in an essay.
• Explain Truman’s attitude toward (1) women and (2) duty to one’s country.
• MO Social Studies (9-12) GLE 7 (Knowledge of the use of tools of social science inquiry.) B. Selecting and analyzing primary/secondary sources. D. Interpreting various social studies resources.

Missouri Standards

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)

Kansas Standards

Benchmark 5: The student engages in historical thinking skills.

1. (A) analyzes a theme in United States history to explain patterns of continuity and change over time.

2. (A) develops historical questions on a specific topic in United States history and analyzes the evidence in primary source documents to speculate on the answers.

4. (A) compares competing historical narratives in United States history by contrasting different historians’ choice of questions, use of sources, and points of view, in order to demonstrate how these factors contribute to different interpretations.

• Robert Ferrell. The Collapse at Meuse-Argonne (2004)
• Richard L. Miller, “Harry S. Truman, Cannoneer” in Army: The Magazine of Landpower, May 1984.
• Richard S. Kirkendall, “Harry Truman: One Man’s Experiences in the Great War and How They Shaped Him” (2007)
• Dear Bess: Letters from Harry S. Truman (Ferrell, ed.)
• Letters to Noland cousins from Truman Library website  http://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/online-collections/harry-trumans-world-war-I
• Chronological record of 129th Field Artillery from Truman Library website https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/federal-record/record-group-391-records-battery-d-129th-field-artillery

Computer with Internet 

Following the WWI reading assignment and lecture, students will go to the computer lab and go to the Truman Library website to read the letters to Bess and the Nolands. They will be given a reference folder containing a map of France and any other helpful documents. Students are to write an analytical essay in which they address the following questions:  (1) Did Harry give his “special women” an accurate picture of what he and his troops were doing in France, or did he sugarcoat it for them?__(2) What do these letters tell us about his relationships with women? (3) How do you think that Truman’s military training and experience helped to shape his character? (If possible, the students will visit the World War I Museum in Kansas City prior to beginning this unit.)

Students will write a 250-word essay addressing the above three questions. The essay is worth 60 points (20 for each question). In order to earn the full 60 points, the student must give at least three specific examples supporting the answers to each question and use a compare/contrast form of analysis for #1. Points will be deducted for omissions.

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Lesson Plan: Letters from World War I

Mount Marty University Professor Richard Lofthus discusses how he found and used the correspondence of American Army Private John Warns, a farmer from a German-American family near Wentworth, South Dakota. Mount Marty University is located in Yankton, South Dakota.

Description

This lesson focuses on World War I, and employs the examination of letters from American Army Private John Warns, a farmer from a German-American family near Wentworth, South Dakota. The lesson, which features Mount Marty University (Yankton, SD), Professor Richard Lofthus, opens with reflective questions that ask students to consider the experiences of soldiers during wartime and how we can learn about the past. Students then view an introductory video clip in which Lofthus discusses how he found and used the correspondence of John Warns. From there, students view and analyze three video clips that provide background information on John Warns’ life before serving in the military, four video clips that detail John Warns’ experiences and correspondence during his World War I military service, and four video clips that describe John Warns’ experiences and correspondence after World War I concludes. Students then view a final video clip in which Lofthus discusses the death of John Warns, before responding to a summative writing prompt that asks them to consider what unique information from the past can be gleaned from the examination of letters.

This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

• How do we know what occurred in the past?
• What experiences do American soldiers have during wartime?

INTRODUCTION

Play the following introductory video clip of Mount Marty University Professor Richard Lofthus discussing how he found and used the correspondence of American Army Private John Warns, a farmer from a German-American family near Wentworth, South Dakota. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

Clip #1: The Story (2:40).

• What was left in a “shoebox” on Richard Lofthus’ desk?
• Which family subsequently offered access to World War I “memorabilia” to Lofthus?
• Who wrote the letters in the stack of correspondence that Lofthus describes?
• What was the “problem,” and why was Lofthus “lucky?”

Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity , where each student takes one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

Direct students to the before war section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following three video clips that provide background information on John Warns’ life before serving in the military. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

Clip #2: The Family (1:29).

• To which country did John Warns’ family have “deep connections?”
• Describe what you see in the photograph of the family.
• Who did the family have a “tendency” to support during World War I? Why?
• According to Richard Lofthus, what stance did the United States take when World War I began?

Clip #3: Gil (3:13).

• What was one of John Warns’ “hobbies,” and who did he meet through this hobby?
• Summarize Gil’s experiences during World War I, based on the letter from March 29, 1916.
• According to Richard Lofthus, what role did letter writing have during the World War I era?
• How and why did American “public opinion” shift during World War I, and how did this impact Gil?

Clip #4: Nonpartisan League (4:17).

• What did farmers “attempt” to do during the World War I era? Why?
• Where did the Nonpartisan League “primarily” get its start? What policies did it advocate for?
• How did the two “major parties” react to the Nonpartisan League, and what impact did their efforts have?
• According to Richard Lofthus, what sometimes happened to supporters of the Nonpartisan League?

Direct students to the war time section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following four video clips that detail John Warns’ experiences and correspondence during his World War I military service. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

Clip #5: To War (5:44).

• What changed once America entered World War I, according to Richard Lofthus? Summarize the evidence in Ida’s October 25, 1917 letter.
• Based on the clip, how did John Warns enter the military? Where was his “original training?”
• What began to “sweep around the globe” during this era and how did it impact the U.S. military?
• According to Lofthus, why was Warns sarcastic in his May 1918 letter?
• Summarize Warns’ early experiences in the military, as described in his May 28, 1918 letter. How did these experiences contrast with those in his hometown?

Clip #6: Propaganda (3:45).

• How did the British begin to “refer to” the Germans, and what was the “message?”
• According to Richard Lofthus, how were Americans affected by wartime propaganda? Summarize the example from Anna Warns’ June 25th, 1918 letter.
• Describe what you see in the two images shown toward the end of the clip.

Clip #7: Patriotism (5:27).

• What went “off the rails” during the World War I era? Summarize the examples stated in the clip.
• According to Richard Lofthus, what were people encouraged to do to support the war effort? What might have happened if someone did not participate?
• Based on the clip, why were the windows of John Warns’ school painted yellow? How did he respond?
• What two “major bills” were passed, and what impact did they have on the country during the World War I era?

Clip #8: Sister and Uncle (2:21).

• Based on the clip, what did Anna Warns do throughout World War I and why was this notable?
• According to Richard Lofthus, what view did John Warns’ pastor have of the war effort? Summarize the evidence from the pastor’s letter.
• What did Uncle Jake “urge” John to do during the war?

Direct students to the end of war section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following four video clips that describe John Warns’ experiences and correspondence after World War I concludes. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

Clip #9: End of War (3:33).

• What “social movement” was occurring in the United States during the World War I era?
• How did John Warns’ view of “prohibition” change during the war? Summarize the evidence from his September 26, 1918 letter.
• Based on the clip, when did World War I end? Describe the impact of the war, as stated in John’s November 26, 1918 letter.
• According to Richard Lofthus, from where did the United States get most of its information about the war? How and why was some of this information inaccurate?

Clip #10: Army of Occupation (10:16).

• Why did John Warns not get home in time for Christmas in 1918, according to Richard Lofthus?
• Based on the clip, what work and experiences did Warns have during the post-war occupation period?
• Compare John and Anna’s perspectives, based on the letter exchange from December 1918 and January 1919.
• Describe the “bond” that John and Anna had, based on the December 25, 1918 letter.
• How did John’s “penmanship” change throughout the war? Why?
• Summarize John’s Mother’s Day 1919 letter, as shown in the clip.

Clip #11: Publishing and Later Life (4:05).

• What did John Warns find out about the letters he had written during World War I, according to Richard Lofthus?
• Summarize John’s request in his September 22nd, 1918 letter, as shown in the clip.
• Do you think the family made the “right decision” to allow John’s letter to be published? Compare your response with that of Lofthus’ student.
• What did John do after his World War I service concluded, according to Lofthus?

Clip #12: Reconciliation (3:04).

• Based on the clip, who was Mathilde Kaiser and what trouble did she experience after World War II?
• According to Richard Lofthus, what did John Warns do to help Mathilde?
• How did John’s actions with Mathilde represent a “sense of reconciliation?”
• Summarize the two “odysseys” that John experienced.

Direct students to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following video clip that provides concluding thoughts about the life of John Warns. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

Clip #13: Death (1:20).

• Summarize what you see in the two photographs in the video clip.
• According to Richard Lofthus, what was John Warns “exposed” to during and after World War I?
• Based on the clip, how old was John when he died and where is he buried?

After your students are finished sharing their findings from the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about World War I through letters to and from American Army Private John Warns, describe how letters can provide unique information about the past. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION

Using this collection of letters from the First World War (UK National Archives), select one letter of interest to you. Then, prepare a brief presentation that includes the following, at minimum:

• Author's Name
• Author's Biographical Information
• Date of Letter
• Addressee's Name (and information, if available)
• Summary of the Letter
• Key Information
• Interesting/Unique Content
• Lingering Questions or Thoughts.

Related Articles

• The World War I Correspondence of the Pvt. John Warns Family (South Dakota State Historical Society)
• Letters from The Great War | American Experience | Official Site (PBS)
• World War I Letters (National Postal Museum)
• EXTENSION RESOURCE: Letters from the First World War (UK National Archives)

Additional Resources

• On This Day: The Sedition Act of 1918
• On This Day: The Sinking of the Lusitania
• Bell Ringer: Russia Before the 1917 Russian Revolution
• Bell Ringer: World War I Posters
• Bell Ringer: World War I Propaganda
• Bell Ringer: World War I: The Zimmermann Telegram
• Lesson Plan: Choice Board: World War I
• Lesson Plan: The Legacies of Woodrow Wilson
• Lesson Plan: Prohibition in the United States
• Lesson Plan: World War I: Comparing German and United States Soldiers
• Lesson Plan: World War I and Religious Peace Groups
• 18th Amendment
• Correspondence
• Espionage Act Of 1917
• Just War Theory
• Military Draft
• Nonpartisan League (1915)
• Russian Revolution (1917)
• Sedition Act Of 1918
• Spanish Flu Pandemic (1918-20)
• World War I

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World War I

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 11, 2023 | Original: October 29, 2009

World War I, also known as the Great War, started in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder catapulted into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the four-year conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). Thanks to new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers had won, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Tensions had been brewing throughout Europe—especially in the troubled Balkan region of southeast Europe—for years before World War I actually broke out.

A number of alliances involving European powers, the Ottoman Empire , Russia and other parties had existed for years, but political instability in the Balkans (particularly Bosnia, Serbia and Herzegovina) threatened to destroy these agreements.

The spark that ignited World War I was struck in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand —heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire—was shot to death along with his wife, Sophie, by the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip on June 28, 1914. Princip and other nationalists were struggling to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand set off a rapidly escalating chain of events: Austria-Hungary , like many countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Serbian nationalism once and for all.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Because mighty Russia supported Serbia, Austria-Hungary waited to declare war until its leaders received assurance from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany would support their cause. Austro-Hungarian leaders feared that a Russian intervention would involve Russia’s ally, France, and possibly Great Britain as well.

On July 5, Kaiser Wilhelm secretly pledged his support, giving Austria-Hungary a so-called carte blanche, or “blank check” assurance of Germany’s backing in the case of war. The Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary then sent an ultimatum to Serbia, with such harsh terms as to make it almost impossible to accept.

World War I Begins

Convinced that Austria-Hungary was readying for war, the Serbian government ordered the Serbian army to mobilize and appealed to Russia for assistance. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe’s great powers quickly collapsed.

Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun.

The Western Front

According to an aggressive military strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan (named for its mastermind, German Field Marshal Alfred von Schlieffen ), Germany began fighting World War I on two fronts, invading France through neutral Belgium in the west and confronting Russia in the east.

On August 4, 1914, German troops crossed the border into Belgium. In the first battle of World War I, the Germans assaulted the heavily fortified city of Liege , using the most powerful weapons in their arsenal—enormous siege cannons—to capture the city by August 15. The Germans left death and destruction in their wake as they advanced through Belgium toward France, shooting civilians and executing a Belgian priest they had accused of inciting civilian resistance. 

First Battle of the Marne

In the First Battle of the Marne , fought from September 6-9, 1914, French and British forces confronted the invading German army, which had by then penetrated deep into northeastern France, within 30 miles of Paris. The Allied troops checked the German advance and mounted a successful counterattack, driving the Germans back to the north of the Aisne River.

The defeat meant the end of German plans for a quick victory in France. Both sides dug into trenches , and the Western Front was the setting for a hellish war of attrition that would last more than three years.

Particularly long and costly battles in this campaign were fought at Verdun (February-December 1916) and the Battle of the Somme (July-November 1916). German and French troops suffered close to a million casualties in the Battle of Verdun alone.

HISTORY Vault: World War I Documentaries

Stream World War I videos commercial-free in HISTORY Vault.

World War I Books and Art

The bloodshed on the battlefields of the Western Front, and the difficulties its soldiers had for years after the fighting had ended, inspired such works of art as “ All Quiet on the Western Front ” by Erich Maria Remarque and “ In Flanders Fields ” by Canadian doctor Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae . In the latter poem, McCrae writes from the perspective of the fallen soldiers:

Published in 1915, the poem inspired the use of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.

Visual artists like Otto Dix of Germany and British painters Wyndham Lewis, Paul Nash and David Bomberg used their firsthand experience as soldiers in World War I to create their art, capturing the anguish of trench warfare and exploring the themes of technology, violence and landscapes decimated by war.

The Eastern Front

On the Eastern Front of World War I, Russian forces invaded the German-held regions of East Prussia and Poland but were stopped short by German and Austrian forces at the Battle of Tannenberg in late August 1914.

Despite that victory, Russia’s assault forced Germany to move two corps from the Western Front to the Eastern, contributing to the German loss in the Battle of the Marne.

Combined with the fierce Allied resistance in France, the ability of Russia’s huge war machine to mobilize relatively quickly in the east ensured a longer, more grueling conflict instead of the quick victory Germany had hoped to win under the Schlieffen Plan .

Russian Revolution

From 1914 to 1916, Russia’s army mounted several offensives on World War I’s Eastern Front but was unable to break through German lines.

Defeat on the battlefield, combined with economic instability and the scarcity of food and other essentials, led to mounting discontent among the bulk of Russia’s population, especially the poverty-stricken workers and peasants. This increased hostility was directed toward the imperial regime of Czar Nicholas II and his unpopular German-born wife, Alexandra.

Russia’s simmering instability exploded in the Russian Revolution of 1917, spearheaded by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks , which ended czarist rule and brought a halt to Russian participation in World War I.

Russia reached an armistice with the Central Powers in early December 1917, freeing German troops to face the remaining Allies on the Western Front.

America Enters World War I

At the outbreak of fighting in 1914, the United States remained on the sidelines of World War I, adopting the policy of neutrality favored by President Woodrow Wilson while continuing to engage in commerce and shipping with European countries on both sides of the conflict.

Neutrality, however, it was increasingly difficult to maintain in the face of Germany’s unchecked submarine aggression against neutral ships, including those carrying passengers. In 1915, Germany declared the waters surrounding the British Isles to be a war zone, and German U-boats sunk several commercial and passenger vessels, including some U.S. ships.

Widespread protest over the sinking by U-boat of the British ocean liner Lusitania —traveling from New York to Liverpool, England with hundreds of American passengers onboard—in May 1915 helped turn the tide of American public opinion against Germany. In February 1917, Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to make the United States ready for war.

Germany sunk four more U.S. merchant ships the following month, and on April 2 Woodrow Wilson appeared before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany.

Gallipoli Campaign

With World War I having effectively settled into a stalemate in Europe, the Allies attempted to score a victory against the Ottoman Empire, which entered the conflict on the side of the Central Powers in late 1914.

After a failed attack on the Dardanelles (the strait linking the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea), Allied forces led by Britain launched a large-scale land invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula in April 1915. The invasion also proved a dismal failure, and in January 1916 Allied forces staged a full retreat from the shores of the peninsula after suffering 250,000 casualties.

Did you know? The young Winston Churchill, then first lord of the British Admiralty, resigned his command after the failed Gallipoli campaign in 1916, accepting a commission with an infantry battalion in France.

British-led forces also combated the Ottoman Turks in Egypt and Mesopotamia , while in northern Italy, Austrian and Italian troops faced off in a series of 12 battles along the Isonzo River, located at the border between the two nations.

Battle of the Isonzo

The First Battle of the Isonzo took place in the late spring of 1915, soon after Italy’s entrance into the war on the Allied side. In the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, also known as the Battle of Caporetto (October 1917), German reinforcements helped Austria-Hungary win a decisive victory.

After Caporetto, Italy’s allies jumped in to offer increased assistance. British and French—and later, American—troops arrived in the region, and the Allies began to take back the Italian Front.

World War I at Sea

In the years before World War I, the superiority of Britain’s Royal Navy was unchallenged by any other nation’s fleet, but the Imperial German Navy had made substantial strides in closing the gap between the two naval powers. Germany’s strength on the high seas was also aided by its lethal fleet of U-boat submarines.

After the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, in which the British mounted a surprise attack on German ships in the North Sea, the German navy chose not to confront Britain’s mighty Royal Navy in a major battle for more than a year, preferring to rest the bulk of its naval strategy on its U-boats.

The biggest naval engagement of World War I, the Battle of Jutland (May 1916) left British naval superiority on the North Sea intact, and Germany would make no further attempts to break an Allied naval blockade for the remainder of the war.

World War I Planes

World War I was the first major conflict to harness the power of planes. Though not as impactful as the British Royal Navy or Germany’s U-boats, the use of planes in World War I presaged their later, pivotal role in military conflicts around the globe.

At the dawn of World War I, aviation was a relatively new field; the Wright brothers took their first sustained flight just eleven years before, in 1903. Aircraft were initially used primarily for reconnaissance missions. During the First Battle of the Marne, information passed from pilots allowed the allies to exploit weak spots in the German lines, helping the Allies to push Germany out of France.

The first machine guns were successfully mounted on planes in June of 1912 in the United States, but were imperfect; if timed incorrectly, a bullet could easily destroy the propeller of the plane it came from. The Morane-Saulnier L, a French plane, provided a solution: The propeller was armored with deflector wedges that prevented bullets from hitting it. The Morane-Saulnier Type L was used by the French, the British Royal Flying Corps (part of the Army), the British Royal Navy Air Service and the Imperial Russian Air Service. The British Bristol Type 22 was another popular model used for both reconnaissance work and as a fighter plane.

Dutch inventor Anthony Fokker improved upon the French deflector system in 1915. His “interrupter” synchronized the firing of the guns with the plane’s propeller to avoid collisions. Though his most popular plane during WWI was the single-seat Fokker Eindecker, Fokker created over 40 kinds of airplanes for the Germans.

The Allies debuted the Handley-Page HP O/400, the first two-engine bomber, in 1915. As aerial technology progressed, long-range heavy bombers like Germany’s Gotha G.V. (first introduced in 1917) were used to strike cities like London. Their speed and maneuverability proved to be far deadlier than Germany’s earlier Zeppelin raids.

By the war’s end, the Allies were producing five times more aircraft than the Germans. On April 1, 1918, the British created the Royal Air Force, or RAF, the first air force to be a separate military branch independent from the navy or army. 

Second Battle of the Marne

With Germany able to build up its strength on the Western Front after the armistice with Russia, Allied troops struggled to hold off another German offensive until promised reinforcements from the United States were able to arrive.

On July 15, 1918, German troops launched what would become the last German offensive of the war, attacking French forces (joined by 85,000 American troops as well as some of the British Expeditionary Force) in the Second Battle of the Marne . The Allies successfully pushed back the German offensive and launched their own counteroffensive just three days later.

After suffering massive casualties, Germany was forced to call off a planned offensive further north, in the Flanders region stretching between France and Belgium, which was envisioned as Germany’s best hope of victory.

The Second Battle of the Marne turned the tide of war decisively towards the Allies, who were able to regain much of France and Belgium in the months that followed.

The Harlem Hellfighters and Other All-Black Regiments

By the time World War I began, there were four all-Black regiments in the U.S. military: the 24th and 25th Infantry and the 9th and 10th Cavalry. All four regiments comprised of celebrated soldiers who fought in the Spanish-American War and American-Indian Wars , and served in the American territories. But they were not deployed for overseas combat in World War I. 

Blacks serving alongside white soldiers on the front lines in Europe was inconceivable to the U.S. military. Instead, the first African American troops sent overseas served in segregated labor battalions, restricted to menial roles in the Army and Navy, and shutout of the Marines, entirely. Their duties mostly included unloading ships, transporting materials from train depots, bases and ports, digging trenches, cooking and maintenance, removing barbed wire and inoperable equipment, and burying soldiers.

Facing criticism from the Black community and civil rights organizations for its quotas and treatment of African American soldiers in the war effort, the military formed two Black combat units in 1917, the 92nd and 93rd Divisions . Trained separately and inadequately in the United States, the divisions fared differently in the war. The 92nd faced criticism for their performance in the Meuse-Argonne campaign in September 1918. The 93rd Division, however, had more success. 

With dwindling armies, France asked America for reinforcements, and General John Pershing , commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, sent regiments in the 93 Division to over, since France had experience fighting alongside Black soldiers from their Senegalese French Colonial army. The 93 Division’s 369 regiment, nicknamed the Harlem Hellfighters , fought so gallantly, with a total of 191 days on the front lines, longer than any AEF regiment, that France awarded them the Croix de Guerre for their heroism. More than 350,000 African American soldiers would serve in World War I in various capacities.

Toward Armistice

By the fall of 1918, the Central Powers were unraveling on all fronts.

Despite the Turkish victory at Gallipoli, later defeats by invading forces and an Arab revolt that destroyed the Ottoman economy and devastated its land, and the Turks signed a treaty with the Allies in late October 1918.

Austria-Hungary, dissolving from within due to growing nationalist movements among its diverse population, reached an armistice on November 4. Facing dwindling resources on the battlefield, discontent on the homefront and the surrender of its allies, Germany was finally forced to seek an armistice on November 11, 1918, ending World War I.

Treaty of Versailles

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, Allied leaders stated their desire to build a post-war world that would safeguard itself against future conflicts of such a devastating scale.

Some hopeful participants had even begun calling World War I “the War to End All Wars.” But the Treaty of Versailles , signed on June 28, 1919, would not achieve that lofty goal.

Saddled with war guilt, heavy reparations and denied entrance into the League of Nations , Germany felt tricked into signing the treaty, having believed any peace would be a “peace without victory,” as put forward by President Wilson in his famous Fourteen Points speech of January 1918.

As the years passed, hatred of the Versailles treaty and its authors settled into a smoldering resentment in Germany that would, two decades later, be counted among the causes of World War II .

World War I Casualties

World War I took the lives of more than 9 million soldiers; 21 million more were wounded. Civilian casualties numbered close to 10 million. The two nations most affected were Germany and France, each of which sent some 80 percent of their male populations between the ages of 15 and 49 into battle.

The political disruption surrounding World War I also contributed to the fall of four venerable imperial dynasties: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and Turkey.

Legacy of World War I

World War I brought about massive social upheaval, as millions of women entered the workforce to replace men who went to war and those who never came back. The first global war also helped to spread one of the world’s deadliest global pandemics, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 20 to 50 million people.

World War I has also been referred to as “the first modern war.” Many of the technologies now associated with military conflict—machine guns, tanks , aerial combat and radio communications—were introduced on a massive scale during World War I.

The severe effects that chemical weapons such as mustard gas and phosgene had on soldiers and civilians during World War I galvanized public and military attitudes against their continued use. The Geneva Convention agreements, signed in 1925, restricted the use of chemical and biological agents in warfare and remain in effect today.

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WWI (World War 1) Expressions Forum RAFT Writing Assignment

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RAFT Writings are very effective due to the various options students have that makes their writing creative and personal. I enjoy using RAFT writing forums to review before exams and practice writing for standardized state and national testing. This WW1Raft has created awesome creative works including Life in the Trenches, the Black Hand, The Treaty of Versailles, and more! A list of expressions popular during ww1 is included. I often have students pair up in groups and create funny sentences and then translate, etc. I require students to include 10 of these expressions in the writing assessment as part of the rubric. This is an outstanding writing assignment...Enjoy!

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